Scientists prepare to exhume bodies at Dozier School for Boys in the Florida panhandle
03/27/2013 By Carson Chambers MARIANNA
....Wards of the defunct Dozier School for Boys, children, are buried in the Marianna, Florida graveyard. Ground-penetrating radar revealed nearly 50 unmarked graves that the state never detected.
"Like a sorority or a fraternity, everything was closed-mouth," said Bryant, talking about his town.
Bryant, 79, grew-up in Marianna with the silence in the woods. He heard the hushed stories of boys who were beaten, tortured, or worse: Disappeared.
He says his town was complicit in keeping these secrets. "Nobody knew anything or was going to tell you anything," he said. Bryant tells a story he heard about Dozier boys running away at night. He says a group called the "Dog Boys" would wait for them in the woods. "The dogs would about tear them to pieces and they would holler and yell," he says.
"How many? What happened to them? Were there crimes committed?" asked U.S. Senator Bill Nelson standing atop Boot Hill on Wednesday.
Now, after nearly a century of quiet, Nelson, University of South Florida researchers and a Tampa Bay family searching to bring their loved one home, may have made enough noise to answer these questions. They are pushing for a massive exhumation of an unknown number of bodies.
"We were uncovering what was clearly grave shafts," said USF's Dr. Erin Kimmerle.
Her team of anthropologists have spent months mapping the Boot Hill Cemetery. Their work turned up nearly 20 more graves than the Florida Department of Law Enforcement originally documented. They have asked family members of missing boys for DNA samples to help them identify remains.
"If there were crimes committed, remember the statute of limitations never runs out on murder," said Senator Nelson.
Now a court order sits on a judge's desk. A signature would mean the USF team would return to the site to begin work....
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/state/scientists-prepare-to-exhume-bodies-at-dozier-school-for-boys-in-the-florida-panhandle
Dozier School for Boys survivor Captain Bill Nelson speaks out for first time Captain Bill Nelson says he was beaten, assaulted
03/29/2013 By Carson Chambers
MADEIRA BEACH, Fla. ....Nelson is speaking out for the first time about the two-and-a-half years he spent at the Dozier School for Boys. Just a skinny 11-year old, he was sent away for a crime he was later exonerated of.
"I was raped over there as a kid, and there were several boys raped. Anything we spoke out about, we went to the White House," he said. It's a story many Dozier boys never lived to tell.
"A lot of boys didn't make it. They weren't strong enough to make it," said Nelson.
...."Sometimes at night you could hear the screams," said Nelson.
It’s a small building where the temperature drops inside and paint peels off the walls and where Nelson remembers being tortured. "Sometimes you stayed two or three days in chains and they beat you and you know, some of them made it. Some of them didn't," he said.
What do you think happened to them? "Well," said Nelson, "they were beaten to death.
Soon the Dozier graveyard, known as Boot Hill, may become a crime scene.
"We'll work together with the Medical Examiner and do skeletal autopsies basically, which then allows for identification through DNA,” said USF’s Dr. Erin Kimmerle....
The state shut down the institution for wayward boys in 2011 after allegations of abuse and suspicious deaths....
http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/news/region_south_pinellas/madeira_beach/dozier-school-for-boys-survivor-speaks-out-for-first-time
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Retired Teacher: School Officials Knew About Sexual Abuse, Did Nothing, Parents sue Grain Valley School District after teacher’s abuse
Retired Teacher: School Officials Knew About Sexual Abuse, Did Nothing
Carol Buchanan tried to come forward in the 1990s, but was punished for it
By Cheryl Hurd Friday, Mar 29, 2013
Carol Buchanan is a retired teacher who taught in the Moraga School District.
Now she may become best known as a whistleblower in the sexual abuse case involving now University of California at Berkeley swim coach, Kristen Cunnane.
“Why didn’t somebody listen? What else could I have done?" Buchanan asked. “I do feel guilty in hindsight. If this happened today, there would be no problem. I would immediately go to (Child Protective Services).”
Buchannan said in the 1990s, students told her that a popular science teacher, Dan Witters, was sexually abusing them, and she complained to administrators
She says the district wasn’t responding to her complaints and, after a 25-year career with the district, she wasn’t fired -- but they strongly suggested that she take a leave of absence.
She did.
Buchanan says she felt vindicated when Cunnane publicly came forward last year. She was a middle school student decades ago, and is now a 30-year-old swim coach at UC Berkeley....
A recent article written about Buchannan’s allegation pointed out hat it failed to find documents to corroborate her story but superintendent Bruce Burns says the district is still looking.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Retired-Teacher-Schools-Officials-Knew-About-Sexual-Abuse-Did-Nothing-200555861.html
Parents sue Grain Valley School District after teacher’s abuse
March 29, 2013, by Michelle Pekarsky
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — Attorneys for the parents of a girl allegedly abused by a teacher in the Grain Valley School District filed a lawsuit against the district principal, superintendent, and other school officials, alleging they did not take appropriate action against Matthew Nelson.
Nelson, formerly a teacher at Prairie Branch Elementary School, was arrested in January 2012 and later pleaded guilty to 10 counts of child molestation, five counts of statutory sodomy and one count of attempted child molestation for incidences dating back to August 2008. The crimes involved children under 14 years of age, some under the age of 12.
The lawsuit states the Grain Valley superintendent and assistant superintendent, along with the former and current principal of Prairie Branch Elementary failed to take action against Nelson even though they had knowledge of prior inappropriate contact by Nelson against at least one other student.
In a letter sent home to parents in February 2012, district superintendent Dr. Roy Moss said that someone first filed an anonymous report on teacher Matthew Nelson in 2008, and that the district investigated the allegations with the limited information that they had at the time....
http://fox4kc.com/2013/03/29/parents-sue-grain-valley-school-district-after-teachers-abuse/
Carol Buchanan tried to come forward in the 1990s, but was punished for it
By Cheryl Hurd Friday, Mar 29, 2013
Carol Buchanan is a retired teacher who taught in the Moraga School District.
Now she may become best known as a whistleblower in the sexual abuse case involving now University of California at Berkeley swim coach, Kristen Cunnane.
“Why didn’t somebody listen? What else could I have done?" Buchanan asked. “I do feel guilty in hindsight. If this happened today, there would be no problem. I would immediately go to (Child Protective Services).”
Buchannan said in the 1990s, students told her that a popular science teacher, Dan Witters, was sexually abusing them, and she complained to administrators
She says the district wasn’t responding to her complaints and, after a 25-year career with the district, she wasn’t fired -- but they strongly suggested that she take a leave of absence.
She did.
Buchanan says she felt vindicated when Cunnane publicly came forward last year. She was a middle school student decades ago, and is now a 30-year-old swim coach at UC Berkeley....
A recent article written about Buchannan’s allegation pointed out hat it failed to find documents to corroborate her story but superintendent Bruce Burns says the district is still looking.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Retired-Teacher-Schools-Officials-Knew-About-Sexual-Abuse-Did-Nothing-200555861.html
Parents sue Grain Valley School District after teacher’s abuse
March 29, 2013, by Michelle Pekarsky
GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. — Attorneys for the parents of a girl allegedly abused by a teacher in the Grain Valley School District filed a lawsuit against the district principal, superintendent, and other school officials, alleging they did not take appropriate action against Matthew Nelson.
Nelson, formerly a teacher at Prairie Branch Elementary School, was arrested in January 2012 and later pleaded guilty to 10 counts of child molestation, five counts of statutory sodomy and one count of attempted child molestation for incidences dating back to August 2008. The crimes involved children under 14 years of age, some under the age of 12.
The lawsuit states the Grain Valley superintendent and assistant superintendent, along with the former and current principal of Prairie Branch Elementary failed to take action against Nelson even though they had knowledge of prior inappropriate contact by Nelson against at least one other student.
In a letter sent home to parents in February 2012, district superintendent Dr. Roy Moss said that someone first filed an anonymous report on teacher Matthew Nelson in 2008, and that the district investigated the allegations with the limited information that they had at the time....
http://fox4kc.com/2013/03/29/parents-sue-grain-valley-school-district-after-teachers-abuse/
Friday, March 29, 2013
Sex Abuse Cases - Marci Hamilton, Capturing the Friedmans - The Victims speak out
Sex abuse cases: 'I have a personal stake in this' (Video)
Mar 28, 2013 Jeff Blumenthal Reporter- Philadelphia Business Journal
Last week, I interviewed Marci Hamilton, a lawyer representing victims in the Sandusky and Philadelphia Archdiocese child abuse scandals, as part of our Inside the Reporters Notebook series....
Hamilton’s pointed response explained what she says is a personal reason for her involvement. She is a professor at Cardozo School of Law and not a litigator by trade. But she said she was incensed on February 10, 2011, when a Philadelphia Grand Jury released a report following an investigation into allegations that two priests and a teacher sexually abused a 10-year-old boy at St. Jerome Parish in Philadelphia, and that another priest assigned to St. Jerome sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy.
It was that report, Hamilton said, that caused her to contact her co-counsel Jeff Anderson, and say she wanted to participate in the litigation.
“I have a personal stake in this,” Hamilton said. “My children are Catholic. My daughter was baptized by a pedophile priest. I have family pictures with a pedophile at one of the most important ceremonies of a child’s life. So I am in it, yes, in Philadelphia. Because its the only way to make this Archdiocese to do the right thing.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/jeff-blumenthal/2013/03/sex-abuse-cases-i-have-a-personal.html
Capturing the Friedmans
At a time when child sexual abuse has been identified as a major public health crisis, the new film "Capturing the Friedmans" takes a skeptical attitude regarding believing children. The 1989, Arnold Friedman and his son Jesse plead guilty to multiple charges of sodomy and sexual abuse against young boys who took computer classes taught in the basement of their home. Jesse now claims he was wrongly convicted.
Our research into the case shows that the director of the film sacrificed truth in favor of creating artistic ambiguity. Clear evidence is omitted and facts are distorted. In addition, the film relies on popular but erroneous myths about child sexual abuse. As a result, uncertainty is created about the guilt of two confessed pedophiles -- who are recast as victims -- while the real victims -- the boys and their families -- are portrayed as untrustworthy.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/ctf/1.html
In Their Own Words: Jesse's Victims Speak Out
....The Film "Capturing the Friedmans" about a case of child molestation in Great Neck, Long Island has been nominated for an Academy Award. We are two of the victims of Arnold and Jesse Friedman writing to you, asking you to hear out side of the story, writing on behalf of the other victims and ourselves. We were abused, tortured, and humiliated by Arnold and Jesse Friedman in computer classes in Arnold's basement. Many of us have physical scars from what was done to us; all of us have psychological scars. Although it has been 16 years, we live with the knowledge of these crimes every day of our lives. Some of us have had bad dreams, some of us slept with baseball bats under our bed for years for fear of reprisals. Many years ago, we thought we could not tell what was happening to us because we felt too guilty and embarrassed and were constantly threatened. Our parents thought Arnold was calling our houses so often because he was such a concerned teacher. His calls were to make sure we were not telling and to repeat the constant threats.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/ctf/vict.html
Mar 28, 2013 Jeff Blumenthal Reporter- Philadelphia Business Journal
Last week, I interviewed Marci Hamilton, a lawyer representing victims in the Sandusky and Philadelphia Archdiocese child abuse scandals, as part of our Inside the Reporters Notebook series....
Hamilton’s pointed response explained what she says is a personal reason for her involvement. She is a professor at Cardozo School of Law and not a litigator by trade. But she said she was incensed on February 10, 2011, when a Philadelphia Grand Jury released a report following an investigation into allegations that two priests and a teacher sexually abused a 10-year-old boy at St. Jerome Parish in Philadelphia, and that another priest assigned to St. Jerome sexually assaulted a 14-year-old boy.
It was that report, Hamilton said, that caused her to contact her co-counsel Jeff Anderson, and say she wanted to participate in the litigation.
“I have a personal stake in this,” Hamilton said. “My children are Catholic. My daughter was baptized by a pedophile priest. I have family pictures with a pedophile at one of the most important ceremonies of a child’s life. So I am in it, yes, in Philadelphia. Because its the only way to make this Archdiocese to do the right thing.”
http://www.bizjournals.com/philadelphia/blog/jeff-blumenthal/2013/03/sex-abuse-cases-i-have-a-personal.html
Capturing the Friedmans
At a time when child sexual abuse has been identified as a major public health crisis, the new film "Capturing the Friedmans" takes a skeptical attitude regarding believing children. The 1989, Arnold Friedman and his son Jesse plead guilty to multiple charges of sodomy and sexual abuse against young boys who took computer classes taught in the basement of their home. Jesse now claims he was wrongly convicted.
Our research into the case shows that the director of the film sacrificed truth in favor of creating artistic ambiguity. Clear evidence is omitted and facts are distorted. In addition, the film relies on popular but erroneous myths about child sexual abuse. As a result, uncertainty is created about the guilt of two confessed pedophiles -- who are recast as victims -- while the real victims -- the boys and their families -- are portrayed as untrustworthy.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/ctf/1.html
In Their Own Words: Jesse's Victims Speak Out
....The Film "Capturing the Friedmans" about a case of child molestation in Great Neck, Long Island has been nominated for an Academy Award. We are two of the victims of Arnold and Jesse Friedman writing to you, asking you to hear out side of the story, writing on behalf of the other victims and ourselves. We were abused, tortured, and humiliated by Arnold and Jesse Friedman in computer classes in Arnold's basement. Many of us have physical scars from what was done to us; all of us have psychological scars. Although it has been 16 years, we live with the knowledge of these crimes every day of our lives. Some of us have had bad dreams, some of us slept with baseball bats under our bed for years for fear of reprisals. Many years ago, we thought we could not tell what was happening to us because we felt too guilty and embarrassed and were constantly threatened. Our parents thought Arnold was calling our houses so often because he was such a concerned teacher. His calls were to make sure we were not telling and to repeat the constant threats.
http://www.leadershipcouncil.org/1/ctf/vict.html
Thursday, March 28, 2013
$10 million Los Angeles settlement first since document release, Prominent Australian entertainer arrested in relation to Jimmy Savile child sex investigation
$10 million Los Angeles settlement first since document release
by Brian Roewe Mar. 28, 2013
As Cardinal Roger Mahony entered the Sistine Chapel in Rome March 12 to begin the process of electing the next pope, his name made headlines in his home diocese for other reasons.
The cardinal, the Los Angeles archdiocese and an ex-priest agreed to settlements in four clergy abuse-related cases, totaling $9.9 million. The settlements are the first since the late January court-ordered release of 12,000 pages of abuse-related documents, and Mahony's ban from public and administrative duties in the archdiocese.
On the same day another case, at the northern end of the state, also made headlines when a visiting priest was arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
The former priest at the center of the Los Angeles settlements was Michael Baker, who was removed from the priesthood in 2000 and convicted in 2007 of molesting two children. He was paroled in 2011 after initially receiving a 10-year prison sentence.
The release of the files factored into the settlements, an attorney for the alleged victims told the Los Angeles Times.
"Once we got the files, it confirmed everything we had argued for years and years. Cardinal Mahony's fingerprints were all over the case," Vince Finaldi told the Times.
The documents pertaining to Baker reveal that in December 1986 Mahony sent him for psychological evaluation in New Mexico after Baker confessed to the then-archbishop his sexual relationships with two boys, beginning in the early 1980s. The psychological evaluation expressed concern with Baker's attitude toward the relationships, saying they were "quite disturbing to listen to."
"At no point did he indicate any awareness at all that his sexual involvement with these two boys may have consequences for them nor did he seem the least bit concerned about any consequences for him except that he may now have to go through a treatment program which he feels would be extraneous," read the evaluations, which did recommend immediate treatment.
Therapy continued for Baker as he re-entered ministry in the archdiocese. He initially worked with the elderly and retired priests before serving numerous parishes as an administrator or associate pastor. Ultimately, the archdiocese placed him on inactive leave in April 2000 after allegations came forward that he had continued to molest the same boys.
....Dominican Fr. Tom Doyle told NCR.
He also speculated Mahony himself could eventually face charges.
"I would not be at all surprised if Mahony were, if another grand jury were convened and Mahony were indicted. Not at all surprised," he said.
Farther north in the state, new abuse allegations involving a foreign visiting priest emerged March 12. Fr. Julio Guarin-Sosa, a visiting priest to the Stockton, Calif., diocese, was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery and molestation of a minor. The alleged incident occurred in Yuba City, Calif., part of the Sacramento diocese, and approximately 80 miles north of his assignment at St. Anne Parish in Lodi, Calif.
Guarin-Sosa was arraigned March 12 in Sutter County Superior Court and is being held in the county jail. The Colombian priest had been assisting at St. Anne for almost a month, while his brother, Fr. Mario Guarin, a parochial vicar at the parish, was on vacation.
The Stockton diocese released a brief statement shortly after Guarin-Sosa's arrest.
"As a result of the charges, Father Guarin's permission to exercise ministry in the Diocese of Stockton has been revoked. His diocese in Colombia has been informed," the diocese stated..... http://ncronline.org/node/48296
Prominent Australian entertainer arrested in relation to Jimmy Savile child sex investigation
Jon Kaila News Limited Network March 29, 2013
A PROMINENT Australian entertainer has been arrested by Scotland Yard detectives in London on suspicion of sexual offences. Metropolitan Police confirmed officers have arrested an 82-year-old man living in Berkshire.
He was arrested by detectives involved in Operation Yewtree - which is investigating the Jimmy Savile child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the UK. He was released about 11.30pm UK time after being questioned by detectives. His present whereabouts are unknown. A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was bailed to a date in May, pending further inquiries.
Operation Yewtree was former in the wake of revelations the now deceased television host and radio DJ Savile, sexually abused and assaulted more than 400 people, mostly children, over five decades in hospitals, schools and BBC's London studios.... http://www.news.com.au/world-news/prominent-australian-entertainer-arrested-in-relation-to-jimmy-savile-child-sex-investigation/story-fndir2ev-1226608965017
by Brian Roewe Mar. 28, 2013
As Cardinal Roger Mahony entered the Sistine Chapel in Rome March 12 to begin the process of electing the next pope, his name made headlines in his home diocese for other reasons.
The cardinal, the Los Angeles archdiocese and an ex-priest agreed to settlements in four clergy abuse-related cases, totaling $9.9 million. The settlements are the first since the late January court-ordered release of 12,000 pages of abuse-related documents, and Mahony's ban from public and administrative duties in the archdiocese.
On the same day another case, at the northern end of the state, also made headlines when a visiting priest was arrested on suspicion of child abuse.
The former priest at the center of the Los Angeles settlements was Michael Baker, who was removed from the priesthood in 2000 and convicted in 2007 of molesting two children. He was paroled in 2011 after initially receiving a 10-year prison sentence.
The release of the files factored into the settlements, an attorney for the alleged victims told the Los Angeles Times.
"Once we got the files, it confirmed everything we had argued for years and years. Cardinal Mahony's fingerprints were all over the case," Vince Finaldi told the Times.
The documents pertaining to Baker reveal that in December 1986 Mahony sent him for psychological evaluation in New Mexico after Baker confessed to the then-archbishop his sexual relationships with two boys, beginning in the early 1980s. The psychological evaluation expressed concern with Baker's attitude toward the relationships, saying they were "quite disturbing to listen to."
"At no point did he indicate any awareness at all that his sexual involvement with these two boys may have consequences for them nor did he seem the least bit concerned about any consequences for him except that he may now have to go through a treatment program which he feels would be extraneous," read the evaluations, which did recommend immediate treatment.
Therapy continued for Baker as he re-entered ministry in the archdiocese. He initially worked with the elderly and retired priests before serving numerous parishes as an administrator or associate pastor. Ultimately, the archdiocese placed him on inactive leave in April 2000 after allegations came forward that he had continued to molest the same boys.
....Dominican Fr. Tom Doyle told NCR.
He also speculated Mahony himself could eventually face charges.
"I would not be at all surprised if Mahony were, if another grand jury were convened and Mahony were indicted. Not at all surprised," he said.
Farther north in the state, new abuse allegations involving a foreign visiting priest emerged March 12. Fr. Julio Guarin-Sosa, a visiting priest to the Stockton, Calif., diocese, was arrested on suspicion of sexual battery and molestation of a minor. The alleged incident occurred in Yuba City, Calif., part of the Sacramento diocese, and approximately 80 miles north of his assignment at St. Anne Parish in Lodi, Calif.
Guarin-Sosa was arraigned March 12 in Sutter County Superior Court and is being held in the county jail. The Colombian priest had been assisting at St. Anne for almost a month, while his brother, Fr. Mario Guarin, a parochial vicar at the parish, was on vacation.
The Stockton diocese released a brief statement shortly after Guarin-Sosa's arrest.
"As a result of the charges, Father Guarin's permission to exercise ministry in the Diocese of Stockton has been revoked. His diocese in Colombia has been informed," the diocese stated..... http://ncronline.org/node/48296
Prominent Australian entertainer arrested in relation to Jimmy Savile child sex investigation
Jon Kaila News Limited Network March 29, 2013
A PROMINENT Australian entertainer has been arrested by Scotland Yard detectives in London on suspicion of sexual offences. Metropolitan Police confirmed officers have arrested an 82-year-old man living in Berkshire.
He was arrested by detectives involved in Operation Yewtree - which is investigating the Jimmy Savile child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the UK. He was released about 11.30pm UK time after being questioned by detectives. His present whereabouts are unknown. A Scotland Yard spokesman said he was bailed to a date in May, pending further inquiries.
Operation Yewtree was former in the wake of revelations the now deceased television host and radio DJ Savile, sexually abused and assaulted more than 400 people, mostly children, over five decades in hospitals, schools and BBC's London studios.... http://www.news.com.au/world-news/prominent-australian-entertainer-arrested-in-relation-to-jimmy-savile-child-sex-investigation/story-fndir2ev-1226608965017
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
ISSB Conference, Child Care, Ritual Abuse Crimes and Convictions, 22 Faces, Satanism
- ISSB of CA and CPPA present the Nineteenth Annual Northern California Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Conference
- Official Audit Report (Massachusetts) Issued March 27, 2013 Department of Early Education and Care
- Women’s History Month Spotlight: Judy Byington – Author of “Twenty-Two Faces
- Justice Story: Killer priest murders nun in chapel sacristy, leaves demonic stab pattern over her heart
- Satanist killer gets life in prison
- Iowa Man Convicted of Killing Two Stepdaughters During Satanic Ritual
- 2 Killings At School Linked To Satanic Cult
- Teen-Ager Says Satanism Led to Killings
- Wiccan killer pleads no contest
ISSB of CA and CPPA present the Nineteenth Annual Northern California Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Conference:
NATIONAL SCANDAL: Family Courts Placing Children with Identified Sex Abusers
April 27th, 2013, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm,
at the Veterans Memorial Center, 203 East 14th Street, Davis, California
Keynote speaker Dr. Linda Barnard is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist, in private practice in Sacramento since 1981. Dr. Barnard has also served as a trainer and consultant to various domestic violence programs in northern California since 1982
Other professionals at the conference will be Geraldine Stahly, PhD, who will present research findings, and Kathleen Russell, legislative director of the Center for Judicial Excellence, who will present and discuss Garland Waller's documentary: No Way Out But One.
Journalist Jane Stevens will discuss the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) studies by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control. The ACE studies show that child sexual abuse as well as other types of traumatic childhood events prevent healthy development and have become a public health emergency.
This workshop will be appropriate for therapists, survivors, friends, and relatives. Professionals can earn up to six CEU's by registering, but the 2013 ISSB Conference will be offered at no-cost and no-registration so that all who care to can attend free of charge.
http://issb.us/2013conference.html
Official Audit Report (Massachusetts)
Issued March 27, 2013
Department of Early Education and Care
For the period
July 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011
....EEC is not ensuring that its licensed child care providers are performing the required Criminal Offender Record Information
(CORI) checks on their staff, both at the point of hire and then every three years, as required by EEC
regulations
....Although Massachusetts regulations require state child care agencies such as EEC to ensure that their contracted providers are requesting background checks for their staff, there is no requirement that state child care agencies perform other analytical procedures such as periodically matching Massachusetts registered sex offender addresses to Massachusetts licensed child care provider addresses.
During our audit, we compared the most recently reported home addresses of all Level 2 and Level 3 registered sex offenders to all licensed Commonwealth child care provider addresses during the 15 month period July 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011 and found 119 instances where Level 2 and Level 3 sex offender addresses matched addresses of EEC child care providers. While we recognize that all 119 may not pose a problem because some of the information in the sex offender registry may be outdated, we believe that routinely conducting this match will serve to better ensure the safety of children in EEC’s programs.
http://www.wcvb.com/blob/view/-/19490826/data/1/-/xcphqn/-/Audit-Report-EEC.pdf
Women’s History Month Spotlight: Judy Byington – Author of “Twenty-Two Faces
http://dangerouslee.biz/2013/03/25/womens-history-month-spotlight-judy-byington/
Justice Story: Killer priest murders nun in chapel sacristy, leaves demonic stab pattern over her heart
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/justice-story-killer-priest-murders-nun-chapel-sacristy-leaves-demonic-stab-pattern-heart-article-1.1162927
Satanist killer gets life in prison
The Associated Press Friday, September 21, 2007
MIAMI - An admitted Satanist convicted of brutally killing a romantic rival and then butchering him was sentenced to life in prison Friday.
Lazaro Galindo, who represented himself, told the court he was God and that he would unite the Catholic and Satanic religions. He also maintained his innocence, saying he felt "the actual killer is still loose on the street." A jury deliberated for just over two hours last month before convicting Galindo of second-degree murder.
In a nearly 40-page confession, the 26-year-old detailed how he stabbed and beat Argelio Gonzalez and then spent two days inside his trailer home dismembering the man. Police found an altar and a cauldron filled with knives and metal weapons.....
http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/092107/D8RQ5B3G0.shtml
Iowa Man Convicted of Killing Two Stepdaughters During Satanic Ritual
January 29, 2009
An Iowa man has been found guilty of killing his two stepdaughters during a ritual from a satanic bible.
Lawrence Harris Sr., of Sioux City, was convicted Thursday on two counts of first-degree murder in Woodbury County District Court....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,485444,00.html
2 Killings At School Linked To Satanic Cult
Teens Allegedly Plotted A Siege
October 15, 1997 By New York Times News Service Luke Woodham
BRANDON, Miss. — Providing the first chilling details about the purported plot behind a massacre at a nearby high school, a sheriff's investigator testified Tuesday that an 18-year-old student served as the leader of a satanic cult of teenagers and masterminded a plan to kill enemies in a takeover of the school.
The investigator, Greg Eklund, said at least one witness had characterized Grant Boyette as "a self-proclaimed satanist" with an obsessive fascination of Adolf Hitler.
In several hours on the witness stand, Eklund described a bizarre plan for the members of his Kroth cult to lay siege to the school, setting off napalm fires and cutting telephone lines before killing selected people and then fleeing the town of Pearl for Louisiana, Mexico and, finally, Cuba.
On Oct. 1, a member of the group, 16-year-old sophomore Luke Woodham, arrived at Pearl High School in suburban Jackson, Miss., with a hunting rifle hidden under a blue coat. Police charged that Woodham walked into the school's commons area and began firing the weapon repeatedly, killing two girls and injuring seven other students before being subdued by an assistant principal....
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-10-15/news/9710150477_1_luke-woodham-pearl-high-school-satanic-cult
Teen-Ager Says Satanism Led to Killings
June 12, 1998
Luke T. Woodham testified today that he opened fire on his Pearl High School classmates after becoming involved in satanism, which he said bestowed ''power over many things.''
Against his lawyers' advice, the 17-year-old Mr. Woodham took the stand after a defense psychologist told jurors he was legally insane under Mississippi law when two students, including a girl he had dated, were shot to death.
Seven others were wounded in the Oct. 1, 1997, attack.
In rambling testimony, Mr. Woodham said he had seen demons and even sent them to plague others....
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/12/us/teen-ager-says-satanism-led-to-killings.html
Wiccan killer pleads no contest
kobtv4kobtv4 Aug 26, 2011
a self proclaimed witch, accused of stabbing a man to death on an albuquerque hiking trail, took a plea deal in court....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vuISkSRpLY
- Official Audit Report (Massachusetts) Issued March 27, 2013 Department of Early Education and Care
- Women’s History Month Spotlight: Judy Byington – Author of “Twenty-Two Faces
- Justice Story: Killer priest murders nun in chapel sacristy, leaves demonic stab pattern over her heart
- Satanist killer gets life in prison
- Iowa Man Convicted of Killing Two Stepdaughters During Satanic Ritual
- 2 Killings At School Linked To Satanic Cult
- Teen-Ager Says Satanism Led to Killings
- Wiccan killer pleads no contest
ISSB of CA and CPPA present the Nineteenth Annual Northern California Child Sexual Abuse Awareness Conference:
NATIONAL SCANDAL: Family Courts Placing Children with Identified Sex Abusers
April 27th, 2013, 9:30 am to 5:00 pm,
at the Veterans Memorial Center, 203 East 14th Street, Davis, California
Keynote speaker Dr. Linda Barnard is a licensed Marriage Family Therapist, in private practice in Sacramento since 1981. Dr. Barnard has also served as a trainer and consultant to various domestic violence programs in northern California since 1982
Other professionals at the conference will be Geraldine Stahly, PhD, who will present research findings, and Kathleen Russell, legislative director of the Center for Judicial Excellence, who will present and discuss Garland Waller's documentary: No Way Out But One.
Journalist Jane Stevens will discuss the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) studies by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control. The ACE studies show that child sexual abuse as well as other types of traumatic childhood events prevent healthy development and have become a public health emergency.
This workshop will be appropriate for therapists, survivors, friends, and relatives. Professionals can earn up to six CEU's by registering, but the 2013 ISSB Conference will be offered at no-cost and no-registration so that all who care to can attend free of charge.
http://issb.us/2013conference.html
Official Audit Report (Massachusetts)
Issued March 27, 2013
Department of Early Education and Care
For the period
July 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011
....EEC is not ensuring that its licensed child care providers are performing the required Criminal Offender Record Information
(CORI) checks on their staff, both at the point of hire and then every three years, as required by EEC
regulations
....Although Massachusetts regulations require state child care agencies such as EEC to ensure that their contracted providers are requesting background checks for their staff, there is no requirement that state child care agencies perform other analytical procedures such as periodically matching Massachusetts registered sex offender addresses to Massachusetts licensed child care provider addresses.
During our audit, we compared the most recently reported home addresses of all Level 2 and Level 3 registered sex offenders to all licensed Commonwealth child care provider addresses during the 15 month period July 1, 2010 through September 30, 2011 and found 119 instances where Level 2 and Level 3 sex offender addresses matched addresses of EEC child care providers. While we recognize that all 119 may not pose a problem because some of the information in the sex offender registry may be outdated, we believe that routinely conducting this match will serve to better ensure the safety of children in EEC’s programs.
http://www.wcvb.com/blob/view/-/19490826/data/1/-/xcphqn/-/Audit-Report-EEC.pdf
Women’s History Month Spotlight: Judy Byington – Author of “Twenty-Two Faces
http://dangerouslee.biz/2013/03/25/womens-history-month-spotlight-judy-byington/
Justice Story: Killer priest murders nun in chapel sacristy, leaves demonic stab pattern over her heart
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/justice-story/justice-story-killer-priest-murders-nun-chapel-sacristy-leaves-demonic-stab-pattern-heart-article-1.1162927
Satanist killer gets life in prison
The Associated Press Friday, September 21, 2007
MIAMI - An admitted Satanist convicted of brutally killing a romantic rival and then butchering him was sentenced to life in prison Friday.
Lazaro Galindo, who represented himself, told the court he was God and that he would unite the Catholic and Satanic religions. He also maintained his innocence, saying he felt "the actual killer is still loose on the street." A jury deliberated for just over two hours last month before convicting Galindo of second-degree murder.
In a nearly 40-page confession, the 26-year-old detailed how he stabbed and beat Argelio Gonzalez and then spent two days inside his trailer home dismembering the man. Police found an altar and a cauldron filled with knives and metal weapons.....
http://jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/092107/D8RQ5B3G0.shtml
Iowa Man Convicted of Killing Two Stepdaughters During Satanic Ritual
January 29, 2009
An Iowa man has been found guilty of killing his two stepdaughters during a ritual from a satanic bible.
Lawrence Harris Sr., of Sioux City, was convicted Thursday on two counts of first-degree murder in Woodbury County District Court....
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,485444,00.html
2 Killings At School Linked To Satanic Cult
Teens Allegedly Plotted A Siege
October 15, 1997 By New York Times News Service Luke Woodham
BRANDON, Miss. — Providing the first chilling details about the purported plot behind a massacre at a nearby high school, a sheriff's investigator testified Tuesday that an 18-year-old student served as the leader of a satanic cult of teenagers and masterminded a plan to kill enemies in a takeover of the school.
The investigator, Greg Eklund, said at least one witness had characterized Grant Boyette as "a self-proclaimed satanist" with an obsessive fascination of Adolf Hitler.
In several hours on the witness stand, Eklund described a bizarre plan for the members of his Kroth cult to lay siege to the school, setting off napalm fires and cutting telephone lines before killing selected people and then fleeing the town of Pearl for Louisiana, Mexico and, finally, Cuba.
On Oct. 1, a member of the group, 16-year-old sophomore Luke Woodham, arrived at Pearl High School in suburban Jackson, Miss., with a hunting rifle hidden under a blue coat. Police charged that Woodham walked into the school's commons area and began firing the weapon repeatedly, killing two girls and injuring seven other students before being subdued by an assistant principal....
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1997-10-15/news/9710150477_1_luke-woodham-pearl-high-school-satanic-cult
Teen-Ager Says Satanism Led to Killings
June 12, 1998
Luke T. Woodham testified today that he opened fire on his Pearl High School classmates after becoming involved in satanism, which he said bestowed ''power over many things.''
Against his lawyers' advice, the 17-year-old Mr. Woodham took the stand after a defense psychologist told jurors he was legally insane under Mississippi law when two students, including a girl he had dated, were shot to death.
Seven others were wounded in the Oct. 1, 1997, attack.
In rambling testimony, Mr. Woodham said he had seen demons and even sent them to plague others....
http://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/12/us/teen-ager-says-satanism-led-to-killings.html
Wiccan killer pleads no contest
kobtv4kobtv4 Aug 26, 2011
a self proclaimed witch, accused of stabbing a man to death on an albuquerque hiking trail, took a plea deal in court....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vuISkSRpLY
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Paedo MP cover-up claim: Top cop removed from sex abuse probe after naming politicians as suspects, Anger rises in Gabon after rash of ritual killings, Ritual Abuse Crimes, Ritual Abuse Legal Codes
Paedo MP cover-up claim: Top cop removed from sex abuse probe after naming politicians as suspects By Tom Pettifor 26 Mar 2013
The officer suddenly found himself booted off the case and put on a disciplinary after revealing politicians were among the suspects
Tasked with flushing out paedophiles preying on vulnerable youngsters at children’s homes, Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll relished the challenge.
But the officer suddenly found himself booted off the case and put on a disciplinary after revealing politicians were named among the suspects. At least one of the figures is understood to have been an MP.
And former Labour councillor Anna Tapsell claims she was visited by a police chief to “warn her off” after she raised concerns that detectives would not properly investigate allegations of paedophile activity in care homes.
Mr Driscoll launched his probe into child sex abuse claims in the South London borough of Lambeth in 1998. But he claims Scotland Yard began meddling as soon as the politicians were named....
The Met set up a five year investigation into sexual abuse linked to Lambeth social care called Operation Middleton. It was a joint probe with the council and was based in the town hall, leading to criticism that the Met were working too closely with the organisation that had employed abusers.
Officers traced 200 victims between 1998 to 2003 and the probe secured three convictions. A total of 19 suspects were never identified, fuelling fears a paedophile ring had operated involving men from outside the care system.
Michael John Carroll, the former boss of the Angell Road home, was arrested in 1998 by Merseyside police for abuse spanning decades. By that time Ms Tapsell had spent more than 10 years highlighting his case after she discovered Lambeth bosses let him run children’s homes until 1991 despite executives learning in 1986 he was a convicted paedophile.
In 1994, she wrote to Elizabeth Appleby QC, who had been commissioned to head a probe into sex abuse and misconduct in the borough. Ms Tapsell told the judge that Carroll, who had not at that point been arrested, was “protected” by Lambeth social services bosses along with paedophile Les Paul who worked in South Vale.
Paul was jailed for two and a half years in 1994 for abusing three boys including one from the children’s home. Ms Tapsell wrote: “Les Paul took little boys home and on holiday, just as Carroll did with the full knowledge of area staff. The examples are numerous.
“Almost all the internal abuse issues have involved collusion across divisions.
"I have no doubt Angell Road may have been used for organised child abuse which involved adults other than staff. "This view is reinforced by the strong investment that officers and politicians have in blocking any effective investigation.”....
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paedophile-mp-cover-up-claim-detective-1785273
Anger rises in Gabon after rash of ritual killings
By Jean Rovys Dabany Reuters 3/26/13
LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - A rising number of mutilated bodies washing up on Gabon's beaches this year has sown fear in the normally sleepy capital Libreville of a resurgence in ritual killings.
The body parts of humans and animals are prized by some in central Africa for their supposed supernatural powers, including among some politicians bent on gaining influence.
"We have seen 20 killings since the start of the year," said Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, the president of Gabon's Association for the Prevention of Ritual Crimes, in Libreville....
"The phenomenon of ritual crimes is real. But no one here is willing to turn anyone else in for fear they too will be in danger," said a member of parliament, who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals.
In the most high-profile ritual murder court case in Gabon to date, a convicted killer accused a Gabonese senator of ordering the 2009 murder of a 12-year-old girl for her organs.
The senator's immunity was lifted after the accusation was made late last year, but he has not been indicted. The senator has denied any involvement....
http://news.yahoo.com/anger-rises-gabon-rash-ritual-killings-161117150.html
Criminal sentence - Colin David Batley - court Swansea Crown Court
Colin David Batley....
Total Sentence : 11 Years...
Distinguishing Features/Facts : He was the leader of a cult which operated as a paedophile ring sexually abusing children, both male and female, as young as 10-years-old over a period of at least 10-years. Children were told if they behaved and did what they were told that they would be rewarded in the afterlife by going to 'The Palace' where they would be looked after by the gods, otherwise they would fall into the abyss. They were also threatened with assassination by the cult. Two female victims became pregnant as a result of the rapes and were told children conceived within the cult belonged to the cult. One of the victims went to the police fearing her child would also become a victim of the cult.
He faced 36 charges and was sentenced on 35 offences. He was found not guilty of one count of rape which he faced with a co-defendant and he pleaded guilty to an indecent assault....
http://www.thelawpages.com/court-cases/Colin-David-Batley-6480-1.law
Blood-drinking devil worshippers face life for ritual Satanic killing
Murder trial reveals sinister link to British vampire groups John Hooper in Berlin
The Guardian, Thursday 31 January 2002
A young married couple who admitted to a ritual Satanic killing were yesterday told they could spend the rest of their lives in a secure psychiatric unit after a trial which has raised the spectre of bizarre underground occult groups in Britain.
Manuela Ruda, aged 23, who told a German court she had become a vampire in London, and her husband, Daniel, aged 26, were given prison sentences of 13 and 15 years respectively after admitting to the hacking to death of a friend in their flat in Witten, in the Ruhr valley.
....The couple stabbed Hackert 66 times, carving an occult pentagram on his chest and collecting his blood in a bowl and then drinking it. When police broke into the flat they found a scalpel still embedded in his stomach with his body lying beneath a banner saying "When Satan Lives".
They also found imitation human skulls and a coffin in which Manuela slept during the day....
Neither of the two self-styled devil worshippers showed the slightest emotion as the sentences were read out to a courtroom dotted with supporters and admirers of the bizarre couple, many dressed in black and holding roses.
....When she was on the stand, Manuela's lawyer asked her if she had actually signed over her soul to the devil. "That was two-and-a-half years ago, on the night before Halloween," she replied, adding in quasi-Biblical language: "That was when I placed myself in, and swore myself, to, the service of our Lord, his will to perform."
Her Lord, though, was Satan, and he had come to play a big role too in the life of Daniel, the car parts salesman she met through an advert he placed in a heavy metal magazine in August 2000. "Pitch-black vampire seeks princess of darkness who hates everything and everyone," he wrote.
She and her husband were arrested after being spotted at a petrol station after a nationwide manhunt. Police found a list in their flat of their intended future victims. There were 16 names on it.
Manuela, in verbal testimony, and Daniel, in a statement read to the court, both denied murder on the grounds that they were acting on a command from a higher authority. "I got the order to sacrifice a human for Satan," Daniel insisted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/feb/01/uk.johnhooper
Argentinean courts confirm boy was killed in satanic ritual
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jan 28, 2008 (CNA)
In Argentina the trial of Cesar Beguiristain has begun, the 20 year-old leader of an Afro-Brazilian, satanic cult accused of carrying out the ritual killing of a 12 year-old street boy. Last week Beguiristain confessed to killing “Ramoncito,” a street boy who the cult leader said “had agreed to sell his soul to the devil.”
....According to prosecutor Gustavo Schmitt, Beguiristain “broke down and confessed to decapitating the boy, but he claimed that it was not his idea and that he was hired to do the killing during a satanic game.”
Schmitt said seven people have been detained in the case, but that authorities are still seeking other individuals “who organized and financed the murder.”
....According to the investigation, the boy was raped, decapitated and dismembered in an Afro-Brazilian ritual. The witness to the crime said the method of killing caused the boy immense pain and was a source of excitement for his killers....
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/argentinean_courts_confirm_boy_was_killed_in_satanic_ritual/
National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse
National District Attorneys Association
NDAA TORTURE COMPILATION (May, 2010)
IDAHO IDAHO CODE ANN §18 1506A. RITUALIZED ABUSE OF A CHILD
DEFINITION
(1) A person is guilty of a felony when he commits any of the following acts with, upon, or in the presence of a child as part of a ceremony, rite or any similar observance:
(a) Actually or in simulation, tortures, mutilates or sacrifices any warm blooded animal or human being;
(b) Forces ingestion, injection or other application of any narcotic, drug, hallucinogen or
anaesthetic for the purpose of dulling sensitivity, cognition, recollection of, or resistance to any criminal activity;
(c) Forces ingestion, or external application, of human or animal urine, feces, flesh, blood, bones, body secretions, nonprescribed drugs or chemical compounds; (d) Involves the child in a mock, unauthorized or unlawful marriage ceremony with another person or representation of any force or deity, followed by sexual contact with the child;
(e) Places a living child into a coffin or open grave containing a human corpse or remains;
(f) Threatens death or serious harm to a child, his parents, family, pets or friends which instills a well founded fear in the child that the threat will be carried out; or
(g) Unlawfully dissects, mutilates, or incinerates a human corpse.
ILLINOIS 720 IL CS 5/12 33. RITUALIZED ABUSE OF A CHILD Sec. 12
33. Ritualized abuse of a child. (a) A person is guilty of ritualized abuse of a child when
he or she commits any of the following acts with, upon, or in the presence of a child as part of a ceremony, rite or any similar observance: (1) actually or in simulation, tortures, mutilates, or sacrifices any warm blooded animal or human being;
(2) forces ingestion, injection or other application of any narcotic, drug, hallucinogen or
anaesthetic for the purpose of dulling sensitivity, cognition, recollection of, or resistance to any criminal activity;
(3) forces ingestion, or external application, of human or animal urine, feces, flesh, blood, bones,
body secretions, nonprescribed drugs or chemical compounds;
(4) involves the child in a mock, unauthorized or unlawful marriage ceremony with another person or representation of any force or deity, followed by sexual contact with the child;
(5) places a living child into a coffin or open grave containing a human corpse or remains;
(6) threatens death or serious harm to a child, his or her parents, family, pets, or friends that instills a well founded fear in the child that the threat will be carried out; or
(7) unlawfully dissects, mutilates, or incinerates a human corpse.
LA REV STAT ANN §14:107.1. RITUALISTIC ACTS
A. (1) The legislature hereby finds that this enactment is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, morals, safety, and welfare and for the support of state government and its existing public institutions.
(2) The legislature further recognizes that:
(a) The preamble to the Constitution of Louisiana affirmatively states "We, the people of
Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, economic, and religious liberties we enjoy, and desiring to protect individual rights to life, liberty, and property; afford opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; assure equality of rights; promote the health, safety, education, and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; ensure
domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and justice to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establis
h this constitution."
(b) The state, under its police power, may enact laws in order to promote public peace, health, morals, and safety.
B. (1) For purposes of this Subsection, "ritualistic acts" means those acts undertaken as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice that result in or are intended to result in:
(a) The mutilation, dismemberment, torture, abuse, or sacrifice of animals.
(b) The ingestion of human or animal blood or human or animal waste.
(2) The acts defined in this Subsection are hereby determined to be destructive of the peace, health, morals, and safety of the citizens of this state and are hereby prohibited.
(3) Any person committing, attempting to commit, or conspiring with another to commit a ritualistic act may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both.
C. (1) No person shall commit ritualistic mutilation, dismemberment, or torture of a human as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice.
(2) No person shall commit ritualistic sexual abuse of children or of physically or mentally disabled adults as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice.
(3) No person shall commit ritualistic psychological abuse of children or of physically or
mentally disabled adults as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice.
(4) Any person who commits, attempts to commit, or conspires with another to comm
it a violation of this Subsection shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than five nor more
than twenty five years and may be fined not more than twenty five thousand dollars.
D. Each violation that occurs under the provisions of this Section shall be considered a separate violation.
E. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to generally accepted agricultural or horticultural practices and specifically the branding or identification of livestock.
F. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to any state or federally
approved, licensed, or funded research project.
MONTANA MONT CODE ANN §45 5 627 RITUAL ABUSE OF MINOR
(1) A person commits the offense of ritual abuse of a minor if the person purposely or knowingly and as part of any ceremony, rite, or ritual or of any training or practice for any ceremony, rite, or ritual:
(a) has sexual intercourse without consent with a per
son less than 16 years of age; commits assault, aggravated assault, assault on a minor, or assault with a weapon against a victim less than 16 years of age; or kills a person less than 16 years of age;
(b) actually or by simulation tortures, mutilates, or sacrifices an animal or person in the presence of the minor;
(c) dissects, mutilates, or incinerates a human corpse or remains in the presence of the minor;
(d) forces upon the minor or upon another person in the presence of a minor the ingestion or the external bodily application of human or animal urine, feces, flesh, blood, bone, or bodily secretions or drugs or chemical compounds;
(e) places a living minor or another living person in the presence of a minor in a coffin or open grave that is empty or that contains a human corpse or remains; or
(f) threatens the minor or, in the presence of the minor, threatens any person or animal with death or serious bodily harm and the minor reasonably believes that the threat will or may be carried out.
http://www.ndaa.org/pdf/Toture_Statutory_Compilation%5B1%5D.pdf
The officer suddenly found himself booted off the case and put on a disciplinary after revealing politicians were among the suspects
Tasked with flushing out paedophiles preying on vulnerable youngsters at children’s homes, Detective Chief Inspector Clive Driscoll relished the challenge.
But the officer suddenly found himself booted off the case and put on a disciplinary after revealing politicians were named among the suspects. At least one of the figures is understood to have been an MP.
And former Labour councillor Anna Tapsell claims she was visited by a police chief to “warn her off” after she raised concerns that detectives would not properly investigate allegations of paedophile activity in care homes.
Mr Driscoll launched his probe into child sex abuse claims in the South London borough of Lambeth in 1998. But he claims Scotland Yard began meddling as soon as the politicians were named....
The Met set up a five year investigation into sexual abuse linked to Lambeth social care called Operation Middleton. It was a joint probe with the council and was based in the town hall, leading to criticism that the Met were working too closely with the organisation that had employed abusers.
Officers traced 200 victims between 1998 to 2003 and the probe secured three convictions. A total of 19 suspects were never identified, fuelling fears a paedophile ring had operated involving men from outside the care system.
Michael John Carroll, the former boss of the Angell Road home, was arrested in 1998 by Merseyside police for abuse spanning decades. By that time Ms Tapsell had spent more than 10 years highlighting his case after she discovered Lambeth bosses let him run children’s homes until 1991 despite executives learning in 1986 he was a convicted paedophile.
In 1994, she wrote to Elizabeth Appleby QC, who had been commissioned to head a probe into sex abuse and misconduct in the borough. Ms Tapsell told the judge that Carroll, who had not at that point been arrested, was “protected” by Lambeth social services bosses along with paedophile Les Paul who worked in South Vale.
Paul was jailed for two and a half years in 1994 for abusing three boys including one from the children’s home. Ms Tapsell wrote: “Les Paul took little boys home and on holiday, just as Carroll did with the full knowledge of area staff. The examples are numerous.
“Almost all the internal abuse issues have involved collusion across divisions.
"I have no doubt Angell Road may have been used for organised child abuse which involved adults other than staff. "This view is reinforced by the strong investment that officers and politicians have in blocking any effective investigation.”....
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paedophile-mp-cover-up-claim-detective-1785273
Anger rises in Gabon after rash of ritual killings
By Jean Rovys Dabany Reuters 3/26/13
LIBREVILLE (Reuters) - A rising number of mutilated bodies washing up on Gabon's beaches this year has sown fear in the normally sleepy capital Libreville of a resurgence in ritual killings.
The body parts of humans and animals are prized by some in central Africa for their supposed supernatural powers, including among some politicians bent on gaining influence.
"We have seen 20 killings since the start of the year," said Jean-Elvis Ebang Ondo, the president of Gabon's Association for the Prevention of Ritual Crimes, in Libreville....
"The phenomenon of ritual crimes is real. But no one here is willing to turn anyone else in for fear they too will be in danger," said a member of parliament, who asked that his name not be used for fear of reprisals.
In the most high-profile ritual murder court case in Gabon to date, a convicted killer accused a Gabonese senator of ordering the 2009 murder of a 12-year-old girl for her organs.
The senator's immunity was lifted after the accusation was made late last year, but he has not been indicted. The senator has denied any involvement....
http://news.yahoo.com/anger-rises-gabon-rash-ritual-killings-161117150.html
Criminal sentence - Colin David Batley - court Swansea Crown Court
Colin David Batley....
Total Sentence : 11 Years...
Distinguishing Features/Facts : He was the leader of a cult which operated as a paedophile ring sexually abusing children, both male and female, as young as 10-years-old over a period of at least 10-years. Children were told if they behaved and did what they were told that they would be rewarded in the afterlife by going to 'The Palace' where they would be looked after by the gods, otherwise they would fall into the abyss. They were also threatened with assassination by the cult. Two female victims became pregnant as a result of the rapes and were told children conceived within the cult belonged to the cult. One of the victims went to the police fearing her child would also become a victim of the cult.
He faced 36 charges and was sentenced on 35 offences. He was found not guilty of one count of rape which he faced with a co-defendant and he pleaded guilty to an indecent assault....
http://www.thelawpages.com/court-cases/Colin-David-Batley-6480-1.law
Blood-drinking devil worshippers face life for ritual Satanic killing
Murder trial reveals sinister link to British vampire groups John Hooper in Berlin
The Guardian, Thursday 31 January 2002
A young married couple who admitted to a ritual Satanic killing were yesterday told they could spend the rest of their lives in a secure psychiatric unit after a trial which has raised the spectre of bizarre underground occult groups in Britain.
Manuela Ruda, aged 23, who told a German court she had become a vampire in London, and her husband, Daniel, aged 26, were given prison sentences of 13 and 15 years respectively after admitting to the hacking to death of a friend in their flat in Witten, in the Ruhr valley.
....The couple stabbed Hackert 66 times, carving an occult pentagram on his chest and collecting his blood in a bowl and then drinking it. When police broke into the flat they found a scalpel still embedded in his stomach with his body lying beneath a banner saying "When Satan Lives".
They also found imitation human skulls and a coffin in which Manuela slept during the day....
Neither of the two self-styled devil worshippers showed the slightest emotion as the sentences were read out to a courtroom dotted with supporters and admirers of the bizarre couple, many dressed in black and holding roses.
....When she was on the stand, Manuela's lawyer asked her if she had actually signed over her soul to the devil. "That was two-and-a-half years ago, on the night before Halloween," she replied, adding in quasi-Biblical language: "That was when I placed myself in, and swore myself, to, the service of our Lord, his will to perform."
Her Lord, though, was Satan, and he had come to play a big role too in the life of Daniel, the car parts salesman she met through an advert he placed in a heavy metal magazine in August 2000. "Pitch-black vampire seeks princess of darkness who hates everything and everyone," he wrote.
She and her husband were arrested after being spotted at a petrol station after a nationwide manhunt. Police found a list in their flat of their intended future victims. There were 16 names on it.
Manuela, in verbal testimony, and Daniel, in a statement read to the court, both denied murder on the grounds that they were acting on a command from a higher authority. "I got the order to sacrifice a human for Satan," Daniel insisted.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2002/feb/01/uk.johnhooper
Argentinean courts confirm boy was killed in satanic ritual
Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jan 28, 2008 (CNA)
In Argentina the trial of Cesar Beguiristain has begun, the 20 year-old leader of an Afro-Brazilian, satanic cult accused of carrying out the ritual killing of a 12 year-old street boy. Last week Beguiristain confessed to killing “Ramoncito,” a street boy who the cult leader said “had agreed to sell his soul to the devil.”
....According to prosecutor Gustavo Schmitt, Beguiristain “broke down and confessed to decapitating the boy, but he claimed that it was not his idea and that he was hired to do the killing during a satanic game.”
Schmitt said seven people have been detained in the case, but that authorities are still seeking other individuals “who organized and financed the murder.”
....According to the investigation, the boy was raped, decapitated and dismembered in an Afro-Brazilian ritual. The witness to the crime said the method of killing caused the boy immense pain and was a source of excitement for his killers....
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/argentinean_courts_confirm_boy_was_killed_in_satanic_ritual/
National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse
National District Attorneys Association
NDAA TORTURE COMPILATION (May, 2010)
IDAHO IDAHO CODE ANN §18 1506A. RITUALIZED ABUSE OF A CHILD
DEFINITION
(1) A person is guilty of a felony when he commits any of the following acts with, upon, or in the presence of a child as part of a ceremony, rite or any similar observance:
(a) Actually or in simulation, tortures, mutilates or sacrifices any warm blooded animal or human being;
(b) Forces ingestion, injection or other application of any narcotic, drug, hallucinogen or
anaesthetic for the purpose of dulling sensitivity, cognition, recollection of, or resistance to any criminal activity;
(c) Forces ingestion, or external application, of human or animal urine, feces, flesh, blood, bones, body secretions, nonprescribed drugs or chemical compounds; (d) Involves the child in a mock, unauthorized or unlawful marriage ceremony with another person or representation of any force or deity, followed by sexual contact with the child;
(e) Places a living child into a coffin or open grave containing a human corpse or remains;
(f) Threatens death or serious harm to a child, his parents, family, pets or friends which instills a well founded fear in the child that the threat will be carried out; or
(g) Unlawfully dissects, mutilates, or incinerates a human corpse.
ILLINOIS 720 IL CS 5/12 33. RITUALIZED ABUSE OF A CHILD Sec. 12
33. Ritualized abuse of a child. (a) A person is guilty of ritualized abuse of a child when
he or she commits any of the following acts with, upon, or in the presence of a child as part of a ceremony, rite or any similar observance: (1) actually or in simulation, tortures, mutilates, or sacrifices any warm blooded animal or human being;
(2) forces ingestion, injection or other application of any narcotic, drug, hallucinogen or
anaesthetic for the purpose of dulling sensitivity, cognition, recollection of, or resistance to any criminal activity;
(3) forces ingestion, or external application, of human or animal urine, feces, flesh, blood, bones,
body secretions, nonprescribed drugs or chemical compounds;
(4) involves the child in a mock, unauthorized or unlawful marriage ceremony with another person or representation of any force or deity, followed by sexual contact with the child;
(5) places a living child into a coffin or open grave containing a human corpse or remains;
(6) threatens death or serious harm to a child, his or her parents, family, pets, or friends that instills a well founded fear in the child that the threat will be carried out; or
(7) unlawfully dissects, mutilates, or incinerates a human corpse.
LA REV STAT ANN §14:107.1. RITUALISTIC ACTS
A. (1) The legislature hereby finds that this enactment is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, morals, safety, and welfare and for the support of state government and its existing public institutions.
(2) The legislature further recognizes that:
(a) The preamble to the Constitution of Louisiana affirmatively states "We, the people of
Louisiana, grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political, economic, and religious liberties we enjoy, and desiring to protect individual rights to life, liberty, and property; afford opportunity for the fullest development of the individual; assure equality of rights; promote the health, safety, education, and welfare of the people; maintain a representative and orderly government; ensure
domestic tranquility; provide for the common defense; and secure the blessings of freedom and justice to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establis
h this constitution."
(b) The state, under its police power, may enact laws in order to promote public peace, health, morals, and safety.
B. (1) For purposes of this Subsection, "ritualistic acts" means those acts undertaken as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice that result in or are intended to result in:
(a) The mutilation, dismemberment, torture, abuse, or sacrifice of animals.
(b) The ingestion of human or animal blood or human or animal waste.
(2) The acts defined in this Subsection are hereby determined to be destructive of the peace, health, morals, and safety of the citizens of this state and are hereby prohibited.
(3) Any person committing, attempting to commit, or conspiring with another to commit a ritualistic act may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than five years or fined not more than five thousand dollars, or both.
C. (1) No person shall commit ritualistic mutilation, dismemberment, or torture of a human as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice.
(2) No person shall commit ritualistic sexual abuse of children or of physically or mentally disabled adults as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice.
(3) No person shall commit ritualistic psychological abuse of children or of physically or
mentally disabled adults as part of a ceremony, rite, initiation, observance, performance, or practice.
(4) Any person who commits, attempts to commit, or conspires with another to comm
it a violation of this Subsection shall be sentenced to imprisonment for not less than five nor more
than twenty five years and may be fined not more than twenty five thousand dollars.
D. Each violation that occurs under the provisions of this Section shall be considered a separate violation.
E. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to generally accepted agricultural or horticultural practices and specifically the branding or identification of livestock.
F. The provisions of this Section shall not be construed to apply to any state or federally
approved, licensed, or funded research project.
MONTANA MONT CODE ANN §45 5 627 RITUAL ABUSE OF MINOR
(1) A person commits the offense of ritual abuse of a minor if the person purposely or knowingly and as part of any ceremony, rite, or ritual or of any training or practice for any ceremony, rite, or ritual:
(a) has sexual intercourse without consent with a per
son less than 16 years of age; commits assault, aggravated assault, assault on a minor, or assault with a weapon against a victim less than 16 years of age; or kills a person less than 16 years of age;
(b) actually or by simulation tortures, mutilates, or sacrifices an animal or person in the presence of the minor;
(c) dissects, mutilates, or incinerates a human corpse or remains in the presence of the minor;
(d) forces upon the minor or upon another person in the presence of a minor the ingestion or the external bodily application of human or animal urine, feces, flesh, blood, bone, or bodily secretions or drugs or chemical compounds;
(e) places a living minor or another living person in the presence of a minor in a coffin or open grave that is empty or that contains a human corpse or remains; or
(f) threatens the minor or, in the presence of the minor, threatens any person or animal with death or serious bodily harm and the minor reasonably believes that the threat will or may be carried out.
http://www.ndaa.org/pdf/Toture_Statutory_Compilation%5B1%5D.pdf
Monday, March 25, 2013
Holy Hell - one family's story of sexual abuse by their priest, Artist Graham Ovenden accused of being paedophile, Sandusky speaks from prison, Satanic sex cult paedophile guilty, Ritual abuse laws
Holy Hell - one family's story of sexual abuse by their priest
By Carol Duncan (ABC Local Radio) 26 March, 2013
When senior NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox told ABC TV's Lateline programme that the Catholic Church had covered up crimes by paedophile priests, silenced investigations and destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution - the public outrage triggered a Royal Commission into institutional child abuse. One of the stories that led to this is that of Patricia Feenan's son, Daniel, a 14-year-old altar boy when first raped by a priest in the Newcastle/Maitland diocese....
Patricia Feenan says that one of the problems with the media coverage was that there no reporting of the 'culture of grooming' and that discussing it, educating people about it means they're more aware but also hopefully more likely to tell someone and to seek help.
"The reaction I've had from many people, and many victims who are positive and thankful, means I know I've helped people. One man wrote that he'd never disclosed his abuse but he read the book and gave it to his mother, telling her 'This is what happened to me.'
Sadly, Patricia fears that sexual abuse by the clergy continues, and will continue.
"We hear that it's historical, and I'll concede that the church is trying very hard now with protocols put in place to deal with victims who come forward now, but when they say it's historical, that's true the offence was historical, but the impact is with us every day, and it's certainly with my son every day of his life. If people understand that more, maybe they can walk some of the journey. Emotional support is what victims want, not ostracisization."... http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/03/26/3723929.htm
Artist Graham Ovenden accused of being paedophile
Graham Ovenden Graham Ovenden denies the charges 11 March 2013
An internationally-acclaimed artist has been described in court as a paedophile who blindfolded girls and committed indecent acts.
Graham Ovenden, 70 - who has had work hung at the Tate Gallery - is accused of sexually abusing children in London and Cornwall. Truro Crown Court heard Mr Ovenden's "target of abuse was young girls."
He denies nine charges of indecency with a child and indecent assault on victims aged between six and 14. When he was arrested over the alleged abuse of one of the girls, Mr Ovenden admitted he had taken photographs of her - a few of them being "nudies", the court was told. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-21745915
Sandusky speaks from prison: Witness's 'story changed a lot'
By Mark Morgenstein, CNN Mon March 25, 2013
Jerry Sandusky has been interviewed for the first time since going to prison in October. Documentary filmmaker John Ziegler shares the convicted pedophile's comments on Joe Paterno, and on the prosecution's key witness, with Piers Morgan, at 9 p.m. ET Monday on CNN.
(CNN) -- Jerry Sandusky will probably be incarcerated for the rest of his life for child sex abuse convictions, but the former Penn State assistant football coach is making sure he has his say outside the prison walls.
Documentary filmmaker John Ziegler interviewed Sandusky, 68, for a project he calls "The Framing of Joe Paterno." On Monday, NBC's "Today" show aired a portion of a phone conversation between the two men.
In the broadcast excerpts, Sandusky questioned the credibility of prosecution witness Mike McQueary, another former Penn State assistant coach, who testified that he walked in on Sandusky raping a child in the showers at a school facility.
"I think there's a lot of things that transpired. I think these investigators, the way they went about business, you know, his story changed a lot. I think he said some things, and then it escalated on him," Sandusky said. "I don't understand how anybody would have walked into that locker room from where he was and heard sounds associated that was sex going on. (laughter) You know, like he said that could've been, I mean, there was ... that would have been the last thing I would have thought about. I would've thought maybe fooling around or something like that. (laughter)"
Sandusky also discussed what Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State head coach who was forced out as a result of the scandal, knew -- or didn't know.
"If he absolutely thought I was (a pedophile), I'd say no. If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that," Sandusky said....
Sandusky was sentenced in October to 30 to 60 years in prison for abusing 10 boys during a 15-year period.... http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/25/us/pennsylvania-sandusky-interview/index.html
Satanic sex cult paedophile guilty http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/03/10/satanic-sex-cult-paedophile-guilty-91466-28312166/
He stole my life": How a teenager was forced to join a satanic sex cult... by her evil uncle http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/teenager-forced-into-a-satanic-sex-cult-904455
Ritual abuse laws http://goo.gl/1Hekd
By Carol Duncan (ABC Local Radio) 26 March, 2013
When senior NSW Police Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox told ABC TV's Lateline programme that the Catholic Church had covered up crimes by paedophile priests, silenced investigations and destroyed evidence to avoid prosecution - the public outrage triggered a Royal Commission into institutional child abuse. One of the stories that led to this is that of Patricia Feenan's son, Daniel, a 14-year-old altar boy when first raped by a priest in the Newcastle/Maitland diocese....
Patricia Feenan says that one of the problems with the media coverage was that there no reporting of the 'culture of grooming' and that discussing it, educating people about it means they're more aware but also hopefully more likely to tell someone and to seek help.
"The reaction I've had from many people, and many victims who are positive and thankful, means I know I've helped people. One man wrote that he'd never disclosed his abuse but he read the book and gave it to his mother, telling her 'This is what happened to me.'
Sadly, Patricia fears that sexual abuse by the clergy continues, and will continue.
"We hear that it's historical, and I'll concede that the church is trying very hard now with protocols put in place to deal with victims who come forward now, but when they say it's historical, that's true the offence was historical, but the impact is with us every day, and it's certainly with my son every day of his life. If people understand that more, maybe they can walk some of the journey. Emotional support is what victims want, not ostracisization."... http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2013/03/26/3723929.htm
Artist Graham Ovenden accused of being paedophile
Graham Ovenden Graham Ovenden denies the charges 11 March 2013
An internationally-acclaimed artist has been described in court as a paedophile who blindfolded girls and committed indecent acts.
Graham Ovenden, 70 - who has had work hung at the Tate Gallery - is accused of sexually abusing children in London and Cornwall. Truro Crown Court heard Mr Ovenden's "target of abuse was young girls."
He denies nine charges of indecency with a child and indecent assault on victims aged between six and 14. When he was arrested over the alleged abuse of one of the girls, Mr Ovenden admitted he had taken photographs of her - a few of them being "nudies", the court was told. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-21745915
Sandusky speaks from prison: Witness's 'story changed a lot'
By Mark Morgenstein, CNN Mon March 25, 2013
Jerry Sandusky has been interviewed for the first time since going to prison in October. Documentary filmmaker John Ziegler shares the convicted pedophile's comments on Joe Paterno, and on the prosecution's key witness, with Piers Morgan, at 9 p.m. ET Monday on CNN.
(CNN) -- Jerry Sandusky will probably be incarcerated for the rest of his life for child sex abuse convictions, but the former Penn State assistant football coach is making sure he has his say outside the prison walls.
Documentary filmmaker John Ziegler interviewed Sandusky, 68, for a project he calls "The Framing of Joe Paterno." On Monday, NBC's "Today" show aired a portion of a phone conversation between the two men.
In the broadcast excerpts, Sandusky questioned the credibility of prosecution witness Mike McQueary, another former Penn State assistant coach, who testified that he walked in on Sandusky raping a child in the showers at a school facility.
"I think there's a lot of things that transpired. I think these investigators, the way they went about business, you know, his story changed a lot. I think he said some things, and then it escalated on him," Sandusky said. "I don't understand how anybody would have walked into that locker room from where he was and heard sounds associated that was sex going on. (laughter) You know, like he said that could've been, I mean, there was ... that would have been the last thing I would have thought about. I would've thought maybe fooling around or something like that. (laughter)"
Sandusky also discussed what Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State head coach who was forced out as a result of the scandal, knew -- or didn't know.
"If he absolutely thought I was (a pedophile), I'd say no. If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that," Sandusky said....
Sandusky was sentenced in October to 30 to 60 years in prison for abusing 10 boys during a 15-year period.... http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/25/us/pennsylvania-sandusky-interview/index.html
Satanic sex cult paedophile guilty http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2011/03/10/satanic-sex-cult-paedophile-guilty-91466-28312166/
He stole my life": How a teenager was forced to join a satanic sex cult... by her evil uncle http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/real-life-stories/teenager-forced-into-a-satanic-sex-cult-904455
Ritual abuse laws http://goo.gl/1Hekd
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Police re-open child sex abuse investigation at Kincora boys home in Belfast
Police re-open child sex abuse investigation at Kincora boys home in Belfast
By Nick Dorman, Fiona O'Cleirigh 23 Mar 2013
The probe will cover attacks on boys over two decades at the home in Northern Ireland – suspected to have been regularly visited by establishment figures
Police have reopened an investigation into child abuse at a notorious care home linked to claims of a cover-up by the secret service to protect top level perverts, the Sunday People reports.
The probe will cover attacks on boys over two decades at the Kincora home in Northern Ireland – suspected to have been regularly visited by establishment figures.
Sources told the investigative website Exaro that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is asking to interview former residents. Kincora was home to 168 boys aged 15 to 18 between 1963 and 1968.
Three senior care staff were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.
But it is feared there were many more victims and abusers.
Since the case there have been suggestions that paedophilia at Kincora was linked to Anglo-Irish relations and British intelligence services. There are unsubstantiated claims that visitors to the home in East Belfast included military, politicians and civil servants.
The PSNI returned to the Kincora files as a result of information received by a public inquiry launched last May into “historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland”.
Retired judge Sir Anthony Hart is chairing the inquiry. It is looking at abuse in residential institutions in the province between 1922 and 1995 and is due to report in 2016....
Joseph Mains, the warden at Kincora, and his deputy Raymond Semple both admitted all charges. McGrath denied the allegations but changed his plea at Belfast Crown Court. It was claimed in court that abuse took place in bedrooms, while boys were watching television, in the toilets and on the first floor landing.
McGrath,and Semple got four years each and Mains got six. McGrath continued to be the subject of speculation because of his links to religion and a loyalist Orange lodge....
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/police-re-open-child-sex-abuse-1781425
By Nick Dorman, Fiona O'Cleirigh 23 Mar 2013
The probe will cover attacks on boys over two decades at the home in Northern Ireland – suspected to have been regularly visited by establishment figures
Police have reopened an investigation into child abuse at a notorious care home linked to claims of a cover-up by the secret service to protect top level perverts, the Sunday People reports.
The probe will cover attacks on boys over two decades at the Kincora home in Northern Ireland – suspected to have been regularly visited by establishment figures.
Sources told the investigative website Exaro that the Police Service of Northern Ireland is asking to interview former residents. Kincora was home to 168 boys aged 15 to 18 between 1963 and 1968.
Three senior care staff were jailed in 1981 for abusing 11 boys.
But it is feared there were many more victims and abusers.
Since the case there have been suggestions that paedophilia at Kincora was linked to Anglo-Irish relations and British intelligence services. There are unsubstantiated claims that visitors to the home in East Belfast included military, politicians and civil servants.
The PSNI returned to the Kincora files as a result of information received by a public inquiry launched last May into “historical institutional abuse in Northern Ireland”.
Retired judge Sir Anthony Hart is chairing the inquiry. It is looking at abuse in residential institutions in the province between 1922 and 1995 and is due to report in 2016....
Joseph Mains, the warden at Kincora, and his deputy Raymond Semple both admitted all charges. McGrath denied the allegations but changed his plea at Belfast Crown Court. It was claimed in court that abuse took place in bedrooms, while boys were watching television, in the toilets and on the first floor landing.
McGrath,and Semple got four years each and Mains got six. McGrath continued to be the subject of speculation because of his links to religion and a loyalist Orange lodge....
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/police-re-open-child-sex-abuse-1781425
Senior LAUSD officials knew of child abuse claims, lawyers say
Senior LAUSD officials knew of child abuse claims, lawyers say
March 21, 2013
Senior LAUSD officials were allegedly aware of parent complaints in 2009 about a Wilmington teacher who was charged in January with abusing children over an extended period of time, say attorneys who represent alleged victims.
The latest allegations concern the case of Robert Pimentel, 57, who has been charged with molesting 12 students at De La Torre Elementary School. Pimentel has pleaded not guilty.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials had previously acknowledged Pimentel’s principal was aware of allegations in 2002 and 2008. The principal’s alleged failure to act was cited as reason for her removal by L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy. Both Pimental and Principal Irene L. Hinojosa resigned as the district was preparing to fire them.
The superintendent said in January that he did not know whether allegations against Pimental went higher than the principal.
On Thursday, attorneys alleged the allegations reached senior officials, namely Holly Priebe-Diaz, a veteran district mediator, and Linda Del Cueto, who oversees instructional programs in the San Fernando Valley. In 2009, she was one of eight top regional administrators across the nation’s second-largest school system.
According to accounts by the attorneys, Priebe-Diaz and Del Cueto were involved in a mediation to settle conflicts between parents and Hinojosa. As they worked through various issues, one parent asserted Pimentel had touched her daughter inappropriately and the principal had failed to follow up appropriately. Another parent who was present has corroborated that account, said attorney Luis Carrillo....
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/senior-district-officials-knew-of-child-abuse-allegations-attorneys-claim.html
March 21, 2013
Senior LAUSD officials were allegedly aware of parent complaints in 2009 about a Wilmington teacher who was charged in January with abusing children over an extended period of time, say attorneys who represent alleged victims.
The latest allegations concern the case of Robert Pimentel, 57, who has been charged with molesting 12 students at De La Torre Elementary School. Pimentel has pleaded not guilty.
Los Angeles Unified School District officials had previously acknowledged Pimentel’s principal was aware of allegations in 2002 and 2008. The principal’s alleged failure to act was cited as reason for her removal by L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy. Both Pimental and Principal Irene L. Hinojosa resigned as the district was preparing to fire them.
The superintendent said in January that he did not know whether allegations against Pimental went higher than the principal.
On Thursday, attorneys alleged the allegations reached senior officials, namely Holly Priebe-Diaz, a veteran district mediator, and Linda Del Cueto, who oversees instructional programs in the San Fernando Valley. In 2009, she was one of eight top regional administrators across the nation’s second-largest school system.
According to accounts by the attorneys, Priebe-Diaz and Del Cueto were involved in a mediation to settle conflicts between parents and Hinojosa. As they worked through various issues, one parent asserted Pimentel had touched her daughter inappropriately and the principal had failed to follow up appropriately. Another parent who was present has corroborated that account, said attorney Luis Carrillo....
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2013/03/senior-district-officials-knew-of-child-abuse-allegations-attorneys-claim.html
Friday, March 22, 2013
Facebook users disgusted as 'child p_rn' video receives 16,000 shares and 4,000 likes
Facebook users disgusted as 'child porn' video receives 16,000 shares and 4,000 likes
Clip allegedly showed a young girl being abused by an older man Steve Anderson Friday 22 March 2013
An apparent child porn video has appeared on Facebook, leaving the social network's users reeling in disgust.
Internet users today vented their fury on rival social network Twitter after the video - that those who have seen it claim showed a young girl being abused by an older man - was shared over 16,000 times and received almost 4,000 'likes'....
Although Facebook quickly removed the video, users had already taken screenshots of the video and began circulating it on other networks, in a seeming attempt to alert other internet users.
A Facebook spokesperson said: "Nothing is more important to Facebook than the safety of the people that use our site, and this material has no place on Facebook.
"We have zero tolerance for child pornography being uploaded onto Facebook and are extremely aggressive in preventing and removing child exploitive content.
"We are pleased that this material was reported to us quickly enabling its swift removal."....
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-users-disgusted-as-child-porn-video-receives-16000-shares-and-4000-likes-8545876.html
Clip allegedly showed a young girl being abused by an older man Steve Anderson Friday 22 March 2013
An apparent child porn video has appeared on Facebook, leaving the social network's users reeling in disgust.
Internet users today vented their fury on rival social network Twitter after the video - that those who have seen it claim showed a young girl being abused by an older man - was shared over 16,000 times and received almost 4,000 'likes'....
Although Facebook quickly removed the video, users had already taken screenshots of the video and began circulating it on other networks, in a seeming attempt to alert other internet users.
A Facebook spokesperson said: "Nothing is more important to Facebook than the safety of the people that use our site, and this material has no place on Facebook.
"We have zero tolerance for child pornography being uploaded onto Facebook and are extremely aggressive in preventing and removing child exploitive content.
"We are pleased that this material was reported to us quickly enabling its swift removal."....
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-users-disgusted-as-child-porn-video-receives-16000-shares-and-4000-likes-8545876.html
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop, - Nightline: When To Believe A Child's Word, Missing dogs, ritualistic killing confound Idaho officials
Pope Francis was often quiet on Argentine sex abuse cases as archbishop
By Nick Miroff, March 18, 2013
HURLINGHAM, Argentina — Father Julio Cesar Grassi was a celebrity in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. The young, dynamic, media-savvy priest networked with wealthy Argentines to fund an array of schools, orphanages and job training programs for poor and abandoned youths, winning praise from Argentine politicians and his superior, Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Grassi called his foundation Felices los Niños, “Happy Children.”
Today, Grassi is a convicted sex offender who remains free on a conditional release after being sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2009 for molesting a prepubescent boy in his care.
Yet in the years after Grassi’s conviction, Bergoglio — now Pope Francis — has declined to meet with the victim of the priest’s crimes or the victims of other predations by clergy under his leadership. He did not offer personal apologies or financial restitution, even in cases in which the crimes were denounced by other members of the church and the offending priests were sent to jail....
There is no evidence that Bergoglio played a role in covering up abuse cases. Several prominent rights groups in Argentina say the archbishop went out of his way in recent years to stand with secular organizations against crimes such as sex trafficking and child prostitution. They say that Bergoglio’s resolve strengthened as new cases of molestation emerged in the archdiocese and that he eventually instructed bishops to immediately report all abuse allegations to police.
In September, after an Argentine priest from a rural area was convicted of abusing dozens of boys between 1984 and 1992, the archbishop’s office released a statement saying the case had “reaffirmed our profound shame and the immense pain that result from the grave mistakes committed by someone who should be setting the moral example.”
But during most of the 14 years that Bergoglio served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, rights advocates say, he did not take decisive action to protect children or act swiftly when molestation charges surfaced; nor did he extend apologies to the victims of abusive priests after their misconduct came to light....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/pope-francis-was-often-quiet-on-argentine-sex-abuse-cases-as-archbishop/2013/03/18/26e7eca4-8ff6-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html
Nightline: When To Believe A Child's Word
Nightline - November 14, 1996
TURNING POINT: When Children Accuse - Who To Believe
Byline: Ted Koppel and Erin Haynes
ABC-Nightline - November 14, 1996
WHEN CHILDREN ACCUSE: WHO TO BELIEVE Child sex abuse is a very serious problem.
In 1994 alone 140,000 new cases were investigated and found to be real. But are innocent people being sentenced for crimes they never committed because of the testimony of the young?
Doubt over the testimony of children in sexual abuse cases has made it harder to try accused child molesters, sometimes with deadly consequences, but authorities say children do tell the truth in most cases.
TED KOPPEL: [voice-over] This week, another tragedy.
1st RESPONDENT: I don't understand this. They- they knew. Why did they let him come into this neighborhood? Or in any other neighborhood?
TED KOPPEL: [voice-over] A convicted child molester avoids prison because there is doubt over the testimony of a child.....
STEPHEN CECI, Psychologist, Cornell University: Not only do I believe children can be reliable in sexual abuse cases, I believe the vast majority of them are reliable in those cases.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] But Ceci says what is missing from many accounts of his work is that it is fairly difficult to convince children to make up even the most harmless stories.
STEPHEN CECI: Because in our studies we work at it very hard....
ERIN HAYES: In fact, in his studies, most of the children ultimately do not give in to interviewers' suggestions, and while many of the interviews are about more serious subjects, medical exams, for example, they are not about sex abuse, and many in the child protection field are troubled that Ceci's research is being applied to sex abuse cases....
STEPHEN CECI: Maybe 1 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent. I suspect it's nowhere near the majority. My hunch is the majority of interviews done with kids by front-line workers, child protective service, law enforcement, therapists, pediatricians, are well-done....
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] But his critics point out Underwager uses his own standards for determining what is repeated and leading. For instance, he has said that interviewers' questions like this one, "Okay ... I don't want you to say anything you can't remember for sure," could be considered leading. And most of the tapes he reviews come to him from defense attorneys, for whom he consults. When he testifies for them, he says, he is paid $2,500 a day. Underwager admits he has no way to known if the children's accounts of abuse in the cases he reviews are actually false. [interviewing] How do you know, in each of these cases, that the abuse did not happen?
RALPH UNDERWAGER: I don't. That's not my function. That's the function of the justice system.
ROB PARRISH: If that's the case, then there's no reason for him to be expressing an opinion in the justice system, any more than any of the rest of us. I mean, you could call anybody in that circumstance to say, "I've viewed the tape and I think it's a bad interview, so therefore I think this child's probably not telling the truth."
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] At least 10 courts have disallowed Underwager's testimony. One ruled he "...did not have bone fide qualifications..." as a researcher. Another said his work "...was not scientifically reliable..." Underwager does continue to testify, which concerns many of his critics, who say is expertise is colored by what they see as a sympathetic view toward pedophiles. In a Dutch publication [Paidika] three years ago, Underwager said, "Paedophiles need to become more positive and make the claim that paedophilia is an acceptable expression of God's will for love and will among human beings." Underwager says he has always believed sex between adults and children is harmful, but says to help treat pedophiles, they must first be encouraged to openly proclaim their sexuality....
MARK ELLIS, National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse: His methods and theories are not accepted by others in his field, and have been subject to a great deal of criticism by others in his field.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] Prosecutors are also critical of Dr. Gardner, who not only testifies, but publishes and markets his own books on child sex abuse, books often quoted in court cases.
ATTORNEY: [law firm videotape] Now, I want to talk to you about the most common cause of false accusations.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] In this videotape produced by a law firm, an attorney cites from Dr. Gardner's research Gardner's conclusion that false allegations of child sex abuse are commonplace in custody disputes.
ATTORNEY: [law firm videotape] This phenomena [sic] has been examined in research and it's now been given the name "parental alienation syndrome."
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] That disorder, however, cannot be found in the standard manual of psychiatric diagnoses. It is a term Dr. Gardner coined himself, based mainly on his own experience as a psychiatrist. But the largest study done on the subject to date found that false allegations of child sexual abuse rarely surface in custody disputes ["...less than 2% of cases involved an allegation of sexual abuse." Dr. Gardner declined a videotaped interview for this report, but he sells tapes of his own, as well, in which he describes his criteria to help determine whether a child's allegation of sexual abuse is true or false. Among his criteria?
Dr. RICHARD GARDNER: [videotape] If it sounds incredible, it's probably not true. In extreme cases, children who are sexually abused become like little street-smart sluts. I believe that children who are false accusers are going to have a higher incidence of reading mystery stories.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] Dr. Gardner concedes no one has scientifically tested his criteria, not even he.
ROB PARRISH: Those tests are not based on scientific reality. They're not verified, they're not validated in any way.
http://theawarenesscenter.blogspot.com/2011/02/turning-point-when-children-accuse-who.html
Missing dogs, ritualistic killing confound Idaho officials
Reuters March 21, 2013 By Laura Zuckerman
SALMON, Idaho, March 21 (Reuters) - The mysterious disappearance of about 30 dogs in southern Idaho has baffled animal control officials and raised concerns among dog lovers after a German shepherd was found with its head crushed in a suspected ritual killing.
The missing canines range widely in size, breed and age. "The dogs seem to vanish into thin air," said Debbie Blackwood, director of the animal shelter in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Officials say some 30 dogs have gone missing in recent months in Twin Falls and nearby communities in an agricultural region in south-central Idaho known as the Magic Valley....
The dog, found in an area known as the Devil's Corral in neighboring Jerome County, appeared to have suffered a "ritualistic execution".... http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-dogsidahol1n0cd0be-20130320,0,3597508.story
By Nick Miroff, March 18, 2013
HURLINGHAM, Argentina — Father Julio Cesar Grassi was a celebrity in the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires. The young, dynamic, media-savvy priest networked with wealthy Argentines to fund an array of schools, orphanages and job training programs for poor and abandoned youths, winning praise from Argentine politicians and his superior, Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio.
Grassi called his foundation Felices los Niños, “Happy Children.”
Today, Grassi is a convicted sex offender who remains free on a conditional release after being sentenced to 15 years in prison in 2009 for molesting a prepubescent boy in his care.
Yet in the years after Grassi’s conviction, Bergoglio — now Pope Francis — has declined to meet with the victim of the priest’s crimes or the victims of other predations by clergy under his leadership. He did not offer personal apologies or financial restitution, even in cases in which the crimes were denounced by other members of the church and the offending priests were sent to jail....
There is no evidence that Bergoglio played a role in covering up abuse cases. Several prominent rights groups in Argentina say the archbishop went out of his way in recent years to stand with secular organizations against crimes such as sex trafficking and child prostitution. They say that Bergoglio’s resolve strengthened as new cases of molestation emerged in the archdiocese and that he eventually instructed bishops to immediately report all abuse allegations to police.
In September, after an Argentine priest from a rural area was convicted of abusing dozens of boys between 1984 and 1992, the archbishop’s office released a statement saying the case had “reaffirmed our profound shame and the immense pain that result from the grave mistakes committed by someone who should be setting the moral example.”
But during most of the 14 years that Bergoglio served as archbishop of Buenos Aires, rights advocates say, he did not take decisive action to protect children or act swiftly when molestation charges surfaced; nor did he extend apologies to the victims of abusive priests after their misconduct came to light....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/pope-francis-was-often-quiet-on-argentine-sex-abuse-cases-as-archbishop/2013/03/18/26e7eca4-8ff6-11e2-9cfd-36d6c9b5d7ad_story.html
Nightline: When To Believe A Child's Word
Nightline - November 14, 1996
TURNING POINT: When Children Accuse - Who To Believe
Byline: Ted Koppel and Erin Haynes
ABC-Nightline - November 14, 1996
WHEN CHILDREN ACCUSE: WHO TO BELIEVE Child sex abuse is a very serious problem.
In 1994 alone 140,000 new cases were investigated and found to be real. But are innocent people being sentenced for crimes they never committed because of the testimony of the young?
Doubt over the testimony of children in sexual abuse cases has made it harder to try accused child molesters, sometimes with deadly consequences, but authorities say children do tell the truth in most cases.
TED KOPPEL: [voice-over] This week, another tragedy.
1st RESPONDENT: I don't understand this. They- they knew. Why did they let him come into this neighborhood? Or in any other neighborhood?
TED KOPPEL: [voice-over] A convicted child molester avoids prison because there is doubt over the testimony of a child.....
STEPHEN CECI, Psychologist, Cornell University: Not only do I believe children can be reliable in sexual abuse cases, I believe the vast majority of them are reliable in those cases.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] But Ceci says what is missing from many accounts of his work is that it is fairly difficult to convince children to make up even the most harmless stories.
STEPHEN CECI: Because in our studies we work at it very hard....
ERIN HAYES: In fact, in his studies, most of the children ultimately do not give in to interviewers' suggestions, and while many of the interviews are about more serious subjects, medical exams, for example, they are not about sex abuse, and many in the child protection field are troubled that Ceci's research is being applied to sex abuse cases....
STEPHEN CECI: Maybe 1 percent, 5 percent, 10 percent. I suspect it's nowhere near the majority. My hunch is the majority of interviews done with kids by front-line workers, child protective service, law enforcement, therapists, pediatricians, are well-done....
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] But his critics point out Underwager uses his own standards for determining what is repeated and leading. For instance, he has said that interviewers' questions like this one, "Okay ... I don't want you to say anything you can't remember for sure," could be considered leading. And most of the tapes he reviews come to him from defense attorneys, for whom he consults. When he testifies for them, he says, he is paid $2,500 a day. Underwager admits he has no way to known if the children's accounts of abuse in the cases he reviews are actually false. [interviewing] How do you know, in each of these cases, that the abuse did not happen?
RALPH UNDERWAGER: I don't. That's not my function. That's the function of the justice system.
ROB PARRISH: If that's the case, then there's no reason for him to be expressing an opinion in the justice system, any more than any of the rest of us. I mean, you could call anybody in that circumstance to say, "I've viewed the tape and I think it's a bad interview, so therefore I think this child's probably not telling the truth."
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] At least 10 courts have disallowed Underwager's testimony. One ruled he "...did not have bone fide qualifications..." as a researcher. Another said his work "...was not scientifically reliable..." Underwager does continue to testify, which concerns many of his critics, who say is expertise is colored by what they see as a sympathetic view toward pedophiles. In a Dutch publication [Paidika] three years ago, Underwager said, "Paedophiles need to become more positive and make the claim that paedophilia is an acceptable expression of God's will for love and will among human beings." Underwager says he has always believed sex between adults and children is harmful, but says to help treat pedophiles, they must first be encouraged to openly proclaim their sexuality....
MARK ELLIS, National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse: His methods and theories are not accepted by others in his field, and have been subject to a great deal of criticism by others in his field.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] Prosecutors are also critical of Dr. Gardner, who not only testifies, but publishes and markets his own books on child sex abuse, books often quoted in court cases.
ATTORNEY: [law firm videotape] Now, I want to talk to you about the most common cause of false accusations.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] In this videotape produced by a law firm, an attorney cites from Dr. Gardner's research Gardner's conclusion that false allegations of child sex abuse are commonplace in custody disputes.
ATTORNEY: [law firm videotape] This phenomena [sic] has been examined in research and it's now been given the name "parental alienation syndrome."
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] That disorder, however, cannot be found in the standard manual of psychiatric diagnoses. It is a term Dr. Gardner coined himself, based mainly on his own experience as a psychiatrist. But the largest study done on the subject to date found that false allegations of child sexual abuse rarely surface in custody disputes ["...less than 2% of cases involved an allegation of sexual abuse." Dr. Gardner declined a videotaped interview for this report, but he sells tapes of his own, as well, in which he describes his criteria to help determine whether a child's allegation of sexual abuse is true or false. Among his criteria?
Dr. RICHARD GARDNER: [videotape] If it sounds incredible, it's probably not true. In extreme cases, children who are sexually abused become like little street-smart sluts. I believe that children who are false accusers are going to have a higher incidence of reading mystery stories.
ERIN HAYES: [voice-over] Dr. Gardner concedes no one has scientifically tested his criteria, not even he.
ROB PARRISH: Those tests are not based on scientific reality. They're not verified, they're not validated in any way.
http://theawarenesscenter.blogspot.com/2011/02/turning-point-when-children-accuse-who.html
Missing dogs, ritualistic killing confound Idaho officials
Reuters March 21, 2013 By Laura Zuckerman
SALMON, Idaho, March 21 (Reuters) - The mysterious disappearance of about 30 dogs in southern Idaho has baffled animal control officials and raised concerns among dog lovers after a German shepherd was found with its head crushed in a suspected ritual killing.
The missing canines range widely in size, breed and age. "The dogs seem to vanish into thin air," said Debbie Blackwood, director of the animal shelter in Twin Falls, Idaho.
Officials say some 30 dogs have gone missing in recent months in Twin Falls and nearby communities in an agricultural region in south-central Idaho known as the Magic Valley....
The dog, found in an area known as the Devil's Corral in neighboring Jerome County, appeared to have suffered a "ritualistic execution".... http://www.chicagotribune.com/sns-rt-usa-dogsidahol1n0cd0be-20130320,0,3597508.story
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Police 'protection' of celebrities 'allowed serial abusers Cyril Smith and Jimmy Savile to escape prosecution for decades', 280,000 girls accept sex abuse as being normal
Police 'protection' of celebrities 'allowed serial abusers Cyril Smith and Jimmy Savile to escape prosecution for decades'
Information on high profile suspects was reportedly marked as 'secret' or 'restricted' and only available to a small number of officers
Charlie Cooper Wednesday 20 March 2013
Celebrities and politicians were protected from child sex investigations because hundreds of police intelligence files were kept so secret that investigating officers could not access them, it has been reported.
Information on famous suspects was marked “secret” or “restricted”, allowing only a small number of officers to access it, to offset the risk of police officers or staff leaking the information to the media, according to The Times.
However, the burying of information is understood to have helped serial offenders such as Jimmy Savile and Sir Cyril Smith MP escape prosecution for decades. Campaigners for the victims of child sex abuse said that police had “put protecting celebrities above child protection”.
The problem has emerged in a review of police information handling by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, in the wake of the Jimmy Savile scandal. Since the exposure of the former TV presenter as Britain’s most prolific child sex offender, police have been inundated with reports from members of the public of “historical abuse”, often by prominent politicians, celebrities and VIPs.
Valuable intelligence on Savile was recorded in 1964, 1998 and 2003 by Scotland Yard, the inspectorate found, but other forces were unable to access it. The inspectorate said the restriction of access to intelligence files was “an area we are concerned about”.....
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/police-protection-of-celebrities-allowed-serial-abusers-cyril-smith-and-jimmy-savile-to-escape-prosecution-for-decades-8541473.html
280,000 girls accept sex abuse as being normal
Rob Hastings Wednesday 29 February 2012
As many as 280,000 teenage girls are suffering from sexual abuse
because they believe it is an accepted part of relationships or do
not believe they can stop it, the NSPCC has warned.
In a disturbing report, the charity said fewer than 20 per cent of cases are reported by young people, as opposed to the majority of cases in which adults are abused. "Many girls are being forced to carry out sexual acts and in some cases are even being raped," said Jon Brown of the NSPCC....
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/280000-girls-accept-sex-abuse-as-being-normal-7463699.html
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Clergy abuse victims call on Pope Francis to open files on Argentina’s pedophile priests, Indian legislators pass strict anti-rape law, Abuse inquiry to proceed under changed law
Clergy abuse victims call on Pope Francis to open files on Argentina’s pedophile priests
By Associated Press, Tuesday, March 19, 2013
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Activists against abuse by Roman Catholic clergy urged Pope Francis on Tuesday to apologize for what they called the Argentine church’s protection of two priests who were eventually convicted of sexually assaulting children.
The U.S.-based Bishop Accountability group cited the case of Father Julio Cesar Grassi, who ran the “Happy Children” foundation and was convicted of pedophilia in 2008, and Father Napoleon Sasso, convicted in 2007 of abusing girls at a soup kitchen in suburban Buenos Aires.
The Buenos Aires archbishop’s office didn’t immediately respond Tuesday.
The pope’s authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, told The Associated Press before Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope last week that he had drawn an increasingly tough line on clergy abuse. Bergoglio insisted that accused priests face trial, and imposed a thorough screening process in an attempt to weed out future problems, Rubin said.....
Grassi was well known in Buenos Aires for persuading celebrities to donate to his “Happy Children” foundation, which ran orphanages and social outreach programs. Before he was convicted, Grassi praised Bergoglio for “never abandoning him.” Now he’s free on appeal, thanks in part to a church filing on his behalf.
Sasso, meanwhile, enjoys prison furloughs after serving half of a 17-year sentence for abusing five girls.
Sasso was assigned to the soup kitchen, at a chapel where his bedroom shared the only bathroom, after living in a home for wayward priests where he had been sent after accusations of pedophilia were raised against him in remote San Juan province.
“The bathroom had two doors. The girls would come in through the outside door, and the priest would bring them into his bedroom through the other, sexually abusing the girls,” Moreau said. “These were really poor people, who were there for free meals while their parents worked. They found an enormous amount of child pornography in his computer, semen, condoms.” It was a medical priest and a nun who discovered that Sasso abused 25 girls aged 3 to 16, but when they informed church officials, they were told to “remain patient,” and nothing was done, Moreau said.
Eventually, they sought higher authorities and the case was taken up by the criminal courts, but the mid-level officials who covered it up still have their positions, while the priest and nun were forced to work elsewhere, the lawyer said....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/clergy-abuse-victims-call-on-pope-francis-to-open-files-on-argentinas-pedophile-priests/2013/03/19/ed810cb2-90c6-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html
Indian legislators pass strict anti-rape law
By Rama Lakshmi Tuesday, March 19, 2013
NEW DELHI — The Indian Parliament’s lower house passed a landmark law Tuesday that sets tougher penalties for rapists and for police officers who refuse to file a woman’s complaint of rape, as well as criminalizing offenses such as stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks.
The amendments to existing law incorporate some of the sweeping changes that were demanded after the fatal gang rape of a young paramedical student in New Delhi in December, an incident that sparked a nationwide outcry against the lack of safety for women.
Despite the unprecedented protests that galvanized tens of thousands of Indians, the number of incidents of sexual assault has not diminished.
As lawmakers discussed the new law in Parliament on Tuesday, a British tourist fractured her leg when she jumped from the balcony of her hotel room in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, to escape being molested by the hotel owner, police said....
A provision requiring government approval for the trial of police officers, officials, politicians and judges on rape charges also has been lifted.
For the first time, the law criminalizes stalking and voyeurism, acts of sexual harassment that have long been grouped under the benign euphemism “love-teasing.” Hereafter, rapes that occur during religious and caste riots also will be treated as cases of aggravated sexual assault.
The law does not, however, address contentious issues such as marital rape or the legal impunity afforded to Indian military officers. Nor does it include a provision to prohibit politicians charged with rape from running for office....
Some activists working to end the trafficking of minors said the law is a watered-down version of what was initially proposed.
“Under the new law, trafficking of a minor is a crime only if rape or sexual exploitation occurs,” said Bhuwan Ribhu, a children’s rights activist....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/british-tourist-jumps-from-indian-hotel-balcony-to-escape-sexual-assault-police-say/2013/03/19/1c25919c-9094-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html
Abuse inquiry to proceed under changed law
March 19, 2013 - AAP
The Senate has agreed to change the century-old Royal Commissions Act to facilitate the inquiry into institutional child abuse.
To allow the commission to hear all the anticipated evidence, victims will be able to tell their stories in private and hearings can be held before just one of the six commissioners.
The Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013 has already passed the House of Representatives, with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus saying it was important for the commission to have the flexibility to make the best use of its resources.
It allows those who want to give evidence in a less formal setting to go before a private hearing, not swear an oath or affirmation but receive the same protections as those giving evidence at formal hearings.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/abuse-inquiry-to-proceed-under-changed-law-20130319-2gcma.html
By Associated Press, Tuesday, March 19, 2013
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Activists against abuse by Roman Catholic clergy urged Pope Francis on Tuesday to apologize for what they called the Argentine church’s protection of two priests who were eventually convicted of sexually assaulting children.
The U.S.-based Bishop Accountability group cited the case of Father Julio Cesar Grassi, who ran the “Happy Children” foundation and was convicted of pedophilia in 2008, and Father Napoleon Sasso, convicted in 2007 of abusing girls at a soup kitchen in suburban Buenos Aires.
The Buenos Aires archbishop’s office didn’t immediately respond Tuesday.
The pope’s authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, told The Associated Press before Jorge Mario Bergoglio was elected pope last week that he had drawn an increasingly tough line on clergy abuse. Bergoglio insisted that accused priests face trial, and imposed a thorough screening process in an attempt to weed out future problems, Rubin said.....
Grassi was well known in Buenos Aires for persuading celebrities to donate to his “Happy Children” foundation, which ran orphanages and social outreach programs. Before he was convicted, Grassi praised Bergoglio for “never abandoning him.” Now he’s free on appeal, thanks in part to a church filing on his behalf.
Sasso, meanwhile, enjoys prison furloughs after serving half of a 17-year sentence for abusing five girls.
Sasso was assigned to the soup kitchen, at a chapel where his bedroom shared the only bathroom, after living in a home for wayward priests where he had been sent after accusations of pedophilia were raised against him in remote San Juan province.
“The bathroom had two doors. The girls would come in through the outside door, and the priest would bring them into his bedroom through the other, sexually abusing the girls,” Moreau said. “These were really poor people, who were there for free meals while their parents worked. They found an enormous amount of child pornography in his computer, semen, condoms.” It was a medical priest and a nun who discovered that Sasso abused 25 girls aged 3 to 16, but when they informed church officials, they were told to “remain patient,” and nothing was done, Moreau said.
Eventually, they sought higher authorities and the case was taken up by the criminal courts, but the mid-level officials who covered it up still have their positions, while the priest and nun were forced to work elsewhere, the lawyer said....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/clergy-abuse-victims-call-on-pope-francis-to-open-files-on-argentinas-pedophile-priests/2013/03/19/ed810cb2-90c6-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html
Indian legislators pass strict anti-rape law
By Rama Lakshmi Tuesday, March 19, 2013
NEW DELHI — The Indian Parliament’s lower house passed a landmark law Tuesday that sets tougher penalties for rapists and for police officers who refuse to file a woman’s complaint of rape, as well as criminalizing offenses such as stalking, voyeurism and acid attacks.
The amendments to existing law incorporate some of the sweeping changes that were demanded after the fatal gang rape of a young paramedical student in New Delhi in December, an incident that sparked a nationwide outcry against the lack of safety for women.
Despite the unprecedented protests that galvanized tens of thousands of Indians, the number of incidents of sexual assault has not diminished.
As lawmakers discussed the new law in Parliament on Tuesday, a British tourist fractured her leg when she jumped from the balcony of her hotel room in Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, to escape being molested by the hotel owner, police said....
A provision requiring government approval for the trial of police officers, officials, politicians and judges on rape charges also has been lifted.
For the first time, the law criminalizes stalking and voyeurism, acts of sexual harassment that have long been grouped under the benign euphemism “love-teasing.” Hereafter, rapes that occur during religious and caste riots also will be treated as cases of aggravated sexual assault.
The law does not, however, address contentious issues such as marital rape or the legal impunity afforded to Indian military officers. Nor does it include a provision to prohibit politicians charged with rape from running for office....
Some activists working to end the trafficking of minors said the law is a watered-down version of what was initially proposed.
“Under the new law, trafficking of a minor is a crime only if rape or sexual exploitation occurs,” said Bhuwan Ribhu, a children’s rights activist....
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/british-tourist-jumps-from-indian-hotel-balcony-to-escape-sexual-assault-police-say/2013/03/19/1c25919c-9094-11e2-9173-7f87cda73b49_story.html
Abuse inquiry to proceed under changed law
March 19, 2013 - AAP
The Senate has agreed to change the century-old Royal Commissions Act to facilitate the inquiry into institutional child abuse.
To allow the commission to hear all the anticipated evidence, victims will be able to tell their stories in private and hearings can be held before just one of the six commissioners.
The Royal Commissions Amendment Bill 2013 has already passed the House of Representatives, with Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus saying it was important for the commission to have the flexibility to make the best use of its resources.
It allows those who want to give evidence in a less formal setting to go before a private hearing, not swear an oath or affirmation but receive the same protections as those giving evidence at formal hearings.
http://news.brisbanetimes.com.au/breaking-news-national/abuse-inquiry-to-proceed-under-changed-law-20130319-2gcma.html
Monday, March 18, 2013
UNC-Chapel Hill Faces Backlash Over Sexual Assault Victim Landen Gambill's Honor Court Charge
UNC-Chapel Hill Faces Backlash Over Sexual Assault Victim Landen Gambill's Honor Court Charge
The Huffington Post By Tyler Kingkade 03/06/2013
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is under intense community backlash after news broke that Landen Gambill, a sexual assault survivor, faces possible expulsion for "intimidating" her alleged abuser.
Gambill was part of a group that filed a federal complaint against UNC over the way the institution treats sexual assault victims. Though Gambill has never publicly identified her abuser, other than to say he's an ex-boyfriend and a current UNC student, her alleged attacker filed an Honor Court charge against her last week.
The American Association of University Professors' Committee on Women stood by Gambill and urged the university to drop the charges in a letter to UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp.
"Charging a plaintiff in a sexual assault case with an Honor Court violation appears very much like retaliation for raising the issue of sexual assault," wrote professors Ann Green and Donna Potts, of St. Joseph's University and Kansas State University, respectively. "Such action by UNC can only serve to silence survivors of sexual violence and to contribute to the chilly campus climate delineated by the recent 'Dear Colleague' letter issued by the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education."
The university has insisted it has nothing to do with the Honor Code charge, but the AAUP noted the administration does have oversight of the Honor Court system. Indeed, the Committee on Student Conduct, comprised of students, faculty and administrators, "oversees the implementation of the Honor Code and the workings of the Honor System at UNC," according to its website....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/unc-chapel-hill-sexual-assault_n_2814090.html
The Huffington Post By Tyler Kingkade 03/06/2013
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is under intense community backlash after news broke that Landen Gambill, a sexual assault survivor, faces possible expulsion for "intimidating" her alleged abuser.
Gambill was part of a group that filed a federal complaint against UNC over the way the institution treats sexual assault victims. Though Gambill has never publicly identified her abuser, other than to say he's an ex-boyfriend and a current UNC student, her alleged attacker filed an Honor Court charge against her last week.
The American Association of University Professors' Committee on Women stood by Gambill and urged the university to drop the charges in a letter to UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp.
"Charging a plaintiff in a sexual assault case with an Honor Court violation appears very much like retaliation for raising the issue of sexual assault," wrote professors Ann Green and Donna Potts, of St. Joseph's University and Kansas State University, respectively. "Such action by UNC can only serve to silence survivors of sexual violence and to contribute to the chilly campus climate delineated by the recent 'Dear Colleague' letter issued by the Office for Civil Rights of the Department of Education."
The university has insisted it has nothing to do with the Honor Code charge, but the AAUP noted the administration does have oversight of the Honor Court system. Indeed, the Committee on Student Conduct, comprised of students, faculty and administrators, "oversees the implementation of the Honor Code and the workings of the Honor System at UNC," according to its website....
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/unc-chapel-hill-sexual-assault_n_2814090.html
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Steubenville Rape Trial Verdict: Judge finds both teens guilty of raping 16-year-old girl, New Bill Aims to Protect Testimony of Child Sex Abuse Victims
Steubenville Rape Trial Verdict: Judge finds both teens guilty of raping 16-year-old girl March 17, 2013 By Julia Dahl
(CBS News) - Two former star high school football players broke down and openly wept on Sunday morning in court after being found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl during a night of partying last August.
Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, and Trent Mays, 17, had been charged with digitally penetrating the intoxicated girl twice on the night of August 11, 2012. Richmond and Mays were found delinquent, which is the juvenile equivalent of being found guilty. Mays was also convicted of a second felony charge of using a minor in nudity oriented materials for taking and distributing photographs of the victim in states of undress....
"I'm aware this is the first time they have been in trouble with the law, but these are serious offenses," said Judge Thomas Lipps, who decided the case without a jury. "If they were convicted in an adult court of these charges they would be spending many years in an adult prison."
Judge Lipps sentenced Richmond to a minimum of one year incarceration in a juvenile facility. Mays was sentenced to a minimum of one year incarceration in a juvenile facility for the rape, and one year for the second felony, to be served consecutively. Lipps called Mays' crimes "more egregious" than Richmond's. Both teens were facing a maximum sentence of incarceration until age 21....
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574728-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict-judge-finds-both-teens-guilty-of-raping-16-year-old-girl/
New Bill Aims to Protect Testimony of Child Sex Abuse Victims
Mar 15, 2013
Reporter: Mike Springer; Sachs Media
Press Release: Sachs Media Group
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Child sexual abuse survivor and advocate Lauren Book is joining with the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association to promote the passage of legislation that would make an out-of-court statement from child victims of sexual abuse a stronger tool trials against their alleged abusers. Book’s non-profit organization, Lauren’s Kids, also is seeking to expand Florida’s existing abuse prevention curriculum through fifth grade.
Under current Florida law, out-of-court statements – such as transcripts of forensic interviews – made by a child victim with a physical, mental, emotional or developmental age of 11 or less may be admissible as evidence in some child sex abuse cases. Book and Florida’s State Attorneys want to see this option extended to children up to 16 years old, as contained in HB 7031.
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/New-Bill-Aims-to-Protect-Testimony-of-Child-Sex-Abuse-Victims-198513621.html
(CBS News) - Two former star high school football players broke down and openly wept on Sunday morning in court after being found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl during a night of partying last August.
Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, and Trent Mays, 17, had been charged with digitally penetrating the intoxicated girl twice on the night of August 11, 2012. Richmond and Mays were found delinquent, which is the juvenile equivalent of being found guilty. Mays was also convicted of a second felony charge of using a minor in nudity oriented materials for taking and distributing photographs of the victim in states of undress....
"I'm aware this is the first time they have been in trouble with the law, but these are serious offenses," said Judge Thomas Lipps, who decided the case without a jury. "If they were convicted in an adult court of these charges they would be spending many years in an adult prison."
Judge Lipps sentenced Richmond to a minimum of one year incarceration in a juvenile facility. Mays was sentenced to a minimum of one year incarceration in a juvenile facility for the rape, and one year for the second felony, to be served consecutively. Lipps called Mays' crimes "more egregious" than Richmond's. Both teens were facing a maximum sentence of incarceration until age 21....
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57574728-504083/steubenville-rape-trial-verdict-judge-finds-both-teens-guilty-of-raping-16-year-old-girl/
New Bill Aims to Protect Testimony of Child Sex Abuse Victims
Mar 15, 2013
Reporter: Mike Springer; Sachs Media
Press Release: Sachs Media Group
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Child sexual abuse survivor and advocate Lauren Book is joining with the Florida Prosecuting Attorneys Association to promote the passage of legislation that would make an out-of-court statement from child victims of sexual abuse a stronger tool trials against their alleged abusers. Book’s non-profit organization, Lauren’s Kids, also is seeking to expand Florida’s existing abuse prevention curriculum through fifth grade.
Under current Florida law, out-of-court statements – such as transcripts of forensic interviews – made by a child victim with a physical, mental, emotional or developmental age of 11 or less may be admissible as evidence in some child sex abuse cases. Book and Florida’s State Attorneys want to see this option extended to children up to 16 years old, as contained in HB 7031.
http://www.wctv.tv/home/headlines/New-Bill-Aims-to-Protect-Testimony-of-Child-Sex-Abuse-Victims-198513621.html
South Africa cardinal says pedophilia not a crime, Swiss cyclist gang-raped in India
South Africa cardinal says pedophilia not a crime Reuters 3/16/13
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African cardinal who helped elect Pope Francis this week has told the BBC pedophilia is an illness and not a crime.
Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, the Catholic Archbishop of Durban, told BBC Radio 5 on Saturday that pedophilia was a "disorder" that needed to be treated.
"From my experience, pedophilia is actually an illness. It's not a criminal condition, it's an illness," he said.
Napier said he knew of at least two priests who became pedophiles after they were abused as children.
"Now don't tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that. I don't think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged."
The Catholic Church has had its image deeply tarnished by a widespread child sex abuse scandal.
Napier was one of the 115 cardinals in the Vatican conclave that elected Pope Francis on Wednesday, the BBC reported. http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-cardinal-says-pedophilia-not-crime-155418854.html
South African cardinal says paedophilia is 'not a criminal condition'
Durban's Archbishop Wilfrid Fox Napier says those abused as children who become paedophiles 'have psychological disorder'
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 March 2013
A South African cardinal who helped elect Pope Francis has described paedophilia as a psychological illness and not "a criminal condition".
The Catholic Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Fox Napier, said that people who were abused as children and became paedophiles were not criminally responsible for their actions in the same way as somebody "who chooses to do something like that".
Cardinal Napier, who was among the 115 cardinals in the conclave at the Vatican that elected Pope Francis earlier this week, called paedophilia a "psychological disorder".
He said: "What do you do with disorders? You have got to try and put them right. If I as a normal being choose to break the law knowing that I am breaking the law, then I think I need to be punished ...
"From my experience, paedophilia is actually an illness, it is not a criminal condition, it is an illness." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/16/south-african-cardinal-paedophilia-crime
Swiss cyclist gang-raped in India
Gang attacked couple and then gang-raped woman as they camped overnight in a Madhya Pradesh forest
Staff and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 March 2013
A Swiss cyclist was gang-raped after she and her husband were attacked while camping in India, police said.
Authorities detained and questioned 13 men in connection with the attack, which occurred on Friday as the couple camped out in a forest in Madhya Pradesh state after cycling from the temple town of Orchha, local police officer RK Gurjar said.
The men beat the couple and gang-raped the 39-year old woman, he said. They also stole the couple's mobile phone, a laptop computer and 10,000 rupees (£123)....
India has experienced outrage and widespread protests against attacks on women since December's fatal gang-rape of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi, the capital. The crime horrified Indians and set off nationwide protests about India's treatment of women, spurring the government to hurry through a new package of laws.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/16/swiss-cyclist-gang-raped-india
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African cardinal who helped elect Pope Francis this week has told the BBC pedophilia is an illness and not a crime.
Cardinal Wilfrid Fox Napier, the Catholic Archbishop of Durban, told BBC Radio 5 on Saturday that pedophilia was a "disorder" that needed to be treated.
"From my experience, pedophilia is actually an illness. It's not a criminal condition, it's an illness," he said.
Napier said he knew of at least two priests who became pedophiles after they were abused as children.
"Now don't tell me that those people are criminally responsible like somebody who chooses to do something like that. I don't think you can really take the position and say that person deserves to be punished. He was himself damaged."
The Catholic Church has had its image deeply tarnished by a widespread child sex abuse scandal.
Napier was one of the 115 cardinals in the Vatican conclave that elected Pope Francis on Wednesday, the BBC reported. http://news.yahoo.com/south-africa-cardinal-says-pedophilia-not-crime-155418854.html
South African cardinal says paedophilia is 'not a criminal condition'
Durban's Archbishop Wilfrid Fox Napier says those abused as children who become paedophiles 'have psychological disorder'
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 March 2013
A South African cardinal who helped elect Pope Francis has described paedophilia as a psychological illness and not "a criminal condition".
The Catholic Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Fox Napier, said that people who were abused as children and became paedophiles were not criminally responsible for their actions in the same way as somebody "who chooses to do something like that".
Cardinal Napier, who was among the 115 cardinals in the conclave at the Vatican that elected Pope Francis earlier this week, called paedophilia a "psychological disorder".
He said: "What do you do with disorders? You have got to try and put them right. If I as a normal being choose to break the law knowing that I am breaking the law, then I think I need to be punished ...
"From my experience, paedophilia is actually an illness, it is not a criminal condition, it is an illness." http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/16/south-african-cardinal-paedophilia-crime
Swiss cyclist gang-raped in India
Gang attacked couple and then gang-raped woman as they camped overnight in a Madhya Pradesh forest
Staff and agencies
guardian.co.uk, Saturday 16 March 2013
A Swiss cyclist was gang-raped after she and her husband were attacked while camping in India, police said.
Authorities detained and questioned 13 men in connection with the attack, which occurred on Friday as the couple camped out in a forest in Madhya Pradesh state after cycling from the temple town of Orchha, local police officer RK Gurjar said.
The men beat the couple and gang-raped the 39-year old woman, he said. They also stole the couple's mobile phone, a laptop computer and 10,000 rupees (£123)....
India has experienced outrage and widespread protests against attacks on women since December's fatal gang-rape of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi, the capital. The crime horrified Indians and set off nationwide protests about India's treatment of women, spurring the government to hurry through a new package of laws.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/16/swiss-cyclist-gang-raped-india
Friday, March 15, 2013
Online child abuse network smashed, Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma, Pursuit of Truth Film
- Online child abuse network smashed
"hundreds of thousands of child abuse images"
- Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma
- Pursuit of Truth Film
Adult Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse Seeking Justice
"a court system weighted in favor of perpetrators combine to make it extremely difficult for survivors to successfully assert their legal rights and far too easy for perpetrators to walk free and continue to abuse other children"
Online child abuse network smashed
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 15/03/2013
Reporter: Ben Worsley
Federal police have smashed what they allege is one of the largest online child abuse networks they've seen, arresting twenty one people, confiscating hundreds of thousands of child abuse images and reportedly rescuing a young victim of the network....
BEN WORSLEY, REPORTER: This scene was repeated in 40 homes across Australia in every state and territory, the AFP swooped en masse....
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3717028.htm
Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 11, 2013
Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma A dispiriting sign of the times is human fallibility associated with hitherto “safe” environments. Previously sacrosanct institutions – universities, the military, the church, scouts — are now headline news for the wrong reason.
Researchers are now learning that recovery from sexual trauma is more challenging when an individual has been betrayed by a perpetrator within a conceptually secure setting.
In a study of 345 female university students, University of Oregon researchers found that 233 of them had experienced at least one unwanted sexual experience in their lifetime, and 46 percent of those victims also experienced betrayal by the institution where incidents occurred.
In the final analysis, researchers found, those who experienced institutional betrayal suffered the most in four post-trauma measurement categories, including anxiety and dissociation.
In the study which appears in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, investigators used a 10-item analysis tool — the Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire — to assess institutional betrayal and involvement.
“Our work on institutional betrayal has coincided with increased public awareness of the harm inflicted by unresponsive institutions surrounding traumatic events,” said researcher Jennifer J. Freyd, Ph.D....
Those reporting a sense of institutional betrayal were found to have more severe post-traumatic symptoms of sexual abuse trauma, anxiety, sexual dysfunction and dissociation.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/11/organizational-infidelity-amplifies-sexual-trauma/52465.html
Pursuit of Truth Film
Adult Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse Seeking Justice
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a crime that is committed behind closed doors without witnesses and remains in the dark because children typically are unable to speak about their abuse. This inability to come forward frequently continues into adulthood. Regrettably, close to 90% of cases go unreported. Thus, despite its epidemic proportions in this country – at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 5 boys likely to be abused before age 18 – CSA remains in the shadows, hidden from the wheels of our justice system.
The legal system itself must share responsibility for such tragic underreporting. As presently constituted, the legal process constructs unfair barriers for survivors to overcome to achieve justice against their abusers. Unjust laws– including arbitrary statutes of limitations(SOL’s) that effectively bar 60%-70% of survivors’ cases from even being filed, erratic police/prosecution practices, and a court system weighted in favor of perpetrators combine to make it extremely difficult for survivors to successfully assert their legal rights and far too easy for perpetrators to walk free and continue to abuse other children.
But winds of change are stirring. There is a growing movement to change the justice’s system fundamental approach to survivors’ cases. Reformers in a number of states have either eliminated SOL’s or expanded the filing deadlines substantially. Activists are shining the light on the need to transform the handling of survivors’ cases by police, prosecutors, and courts so that justice can become a reality for survivors.
http://www.pursuitoftruthfilm.com/
"hundreds of thousands of child abuse images"
- Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma
- Pursuit of Truth Film
Adult Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse Seeking Justice
"a court system weighted in favor of perpetrators combine to make it extremely difficult for survivors to successfully assert their legal rights and far too easy for perpetrators to walk free and continue to abuse other children"
Online child abuse network smashed
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Broadcast: 15/03/2013
Reporter: Ben Worsley
Federal police have smashed what they allege is one of the largest online child abuse networks they've seen, arresting twenty one people, confiscating hundreds of thousands of child abuse images and reportedly rescuing a young victim of the network....
BEN WORSLEY, REPORTER: This scene was repeated in 40 homes across Australia in every state and territory, the AFP swooped en masse....
http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2013/s3717028.htm
Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma
By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on March 11, 2013
Organizational Infidelity Amplifies Sexual Trauma A dispiriting sign of the times is human fallibility associated with hitherto “safe” environments. Previously sacrosanct institutions – universities, the military, the church, scouts — are now headline news for the wrong reason.
Researchers are now learning that recovery from sexual trauma is more challenging when an individual has been betrayed by a perpetrator within a conceptually secure setting.
In a study of 345 female university students, University of Oregon researchers found that 233 of them had experienced at least one unwanted sexual experience in their lifetime, and 46 percent of those victims also experienced betrayal by the institution where incidents occurred.
In the final analysis, researchers found, those who experienced institutional betrayal suffered the most in four post-trauma measurement categories, including anxiety and dissociation.
In the study which appears in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, investigators used a 10-item analysis tool — the Institutional Betrayal Questionnaire — to assess institutional betrayal and involvement.
“Our work on institutional betrayal has coincided with increased public awareness of the harm inflicted by unresponsive institutions surrounding traumatic events,” said researcher Jennifer J. Freyd, Ph.D....
Those reporting a sense of institutional betrayal were found to have more severe post-traumatic symptoms of sexual abuse trauma, anxiety, sexual dysfunction and dissociation.
http://psychcentral.com/news/2013/03/11/organizational-infidelity-amplifies-sexual-trauma/52465.html
Pursuit of Truth Film
Adult Survivors Of Child Sex Abuse Seeking Justice
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a crime that is committed behind closed doors without witnesses and remains in the dark because children typically are unable to speak about their abuse. This inability to come forward frequently continues into adulthood. Regrettably, close to 90% of cases go unreported. Thus, despite its epidemic proportions in this country – at least 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 5 boys likely to be abused before age 18 – CSA remains in the shadows, hidden from the wheels of our justice system.
The legal system itself must share responsibility for such tragic underreporting. As presently constituted, the legal process constructs unfair barriers for survivors to overcome to achieve justice against their abusers. Unjust laws– including arbitrary statutes of limitations(SOL’s) that effectively bar 60%-70% of survivors’ cases from even being filed, erratic police/prosecution practices, and a court system weighted in favor of perpetrators combine to make it extremely difficult for survivors to successfully assert their legal rights and far too easy for perpetrators to walk free and continue to abuse other children.
But winds of change are stirring. There is a growing movement to change the justice’s system fundamental approach to survivors’ cases. Reformers in a number of states have either eliminated SOL’s or expanded the filing deadlines substantially. Activists are shining the light on the need to transform the handling of survivors’ cases by police, prosecutors, and courts so that justice can become a reality for survivors.
http://www.pursuitoftruthfilm.com/
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Jimmy Savile sex crime police ‘to arrest more celebrities’ in Operation Yewtree probe, Ex-Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis arrested over fresh sex abuse allegations, Church Sex-Abuse Victim 'Surprised' by Pope
- Jimmy Savile sex crime police ‘to arrest more celebrities’ in Operation Yewtree probe
- Ex-Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis arrested over fresh sex abuse allegations
- Church Sex-Abuse Victim 'Surprised' by Pope
Jimmy Savile sex crime police ‘to arrest more celebrities’ in Operation Yewtree probe Thursday 14 Mar 2013
Police investigating the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal are preparing to arrest more celebrities within weeks, it has been revealed.
Some ‘very high-profile figures’ are said to be among the new names reported to Operation Yewtree detectives by alleged victims.
The police promise comes as former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis was arrested for the second time over alleged sexual offences – though he again proclaimed his innocence.
Operation Yewtree was set up last year amid revelations of how the late TV presenter and DJ Savile had escaped prosecution despite decades of allegations against him.
Among those already arrested since the probe was launched are Travis, comedian Jim Davidson, PR consultant Max Clifford and disgraced pop star Gary Glitter.
All have declared their innocence.
Nazir Afzal, from the Crown Prosecution Service, has now told a child abuse seminar in London that more arrests are imminent....
http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/14/jimmy-savile-sex-crime-police-will-arrest-more-celebs-in-operation-yewtree-probe-3541806/
Ex-Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis arrested over fresh sex abuse allegations
Wednesday 13 Mar 2013
Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis has been re-arrested on a string of new sex allegations, Scotland Yard has confirmed.
The 67-year-old was questioned when he answered bail on Monday about 11 new ‘incidents’ that have come to light.
According to sources, the claims date back to the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr Travis was originally arrested in November of last year. At the time, he strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Speaking outside his home in Bedfordshire today, the former Top of the Pops host told reporters: ‘I have been into a police station and I have had a chat with them and that is it.
‘They have told me they will make a decision in April.
‘I have not been charged with anything and that is it at the moment. I have to wait until they make up their minds.’....
http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/13/ex-radio-1-dj-dave-lee-travis-arrested-over-fresh-sex-abuse-allegations-3540394/
Church Sex-Abuse Victim 'Surprised' by Pope
Udo Strutynski says Pope Francis' message to the church is "no more business as usual." 03/14/2013
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/church-sex-abuse-victim-surprised-by-pope-18727643
- Ex-Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis arrested over fresh sex abuse allegations
- Church Sex-Abuse Victim 'Surprised' by Pope
Jimmy Savile sex crime police ‘to arrest more celebrities’ in Operation Yewtree probe Thursday 14 Mar 2013
Police investigating the Jimmy Savile sex abuse scandal are preparing to arrest more celebrities within weeks, it has been revealed.
Some ‘very high-profile figures’ are said to be among the new names reported to Operation Yewtree detectives by alleged victims.
The police promise comes as former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis was arrested for the second time over alleged sexual offences – though he again proclaimed his innocence.
Operation Yewtree was set up last year amid revelations of how the late TV presenter and DJ Savile had escaped prosecution despite decades of allegations against him.
Among those already arrested since the probe was launched are Travis, comedian Jim Davidson, PR consultant Max Clifford and disgraced pop star Gary Glitter.
All have declared their innocence.
Nazir Afzal, from the Crown Prosecution Service, has now told a child abuse seminar in London that more arrests are imminent....
http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/14/jimmy-savile-sex-crime-police-will-arrest-more-celebs-in-operation-yewtree-probe-3541806/
Ex-Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis arrested over fresh sex abuse allegations
Wednesday 13 Mar 2013
Former Radio 1 DJ Dave Lee Travis has been re-arrested on a string of new sex allegations, Scotland Yard has confirmed.
The 67-year-old was questioned when he answered bail on Monday about 11 new ‘incidents’ that have come to light.
According to sources, the claims date back to the 1970s and 1980s.
Mr Travis was originally arrested in November of last year. At the time, he strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Speaking outside his home in Bedfordshire today, the former Top of the Pops host told reporters: ‘I have been into a police station and I have had a chat with them and that is it.
‘They have told me they will make a decision in April.
‘I have not been charged with anything and that is it at the moment. I have to wait until they make up their minds.’....
http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/13/ex-radio-1-dj-dave-lee-travis-arrested-over-fresh-sex-abuse-allegations-3540394/
Church Sex-Abuse Victim 'Surprised' by Pope
Udo Strutynski says Pope Francis' message to the church is "no more business as usual." 03/14/2013
http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/church-sex-abuse-victim-surprised-by-pope-18727643
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Report finds Dutch religious abused ‘tens of thousands’ of girls, The Real West Memphis Three, Father speaks out against documentary
- Report finds Dutch religious abused ‘tens of thousands’ of girls
- Letter: Father speaks out against documentary "West of Memphis"
- The Real West Memphis Three http://www.westmemphisthreefacts.com
FACT - JESSIE MISSKELLEY CONFESSED NUMEROUS TIMES
- Letter: Documentary screening criticized
Report finds Dutch religious abused ‘tens of thousands’ of girls
Catholic Church offers apology to victims after report published
is unlikely to be established more accurately
Peter Cluskey Mon, Mar 11, 2013
The report, published yesterday, brought an immediate apology from the Catholic Church, which said that not only had the victims been blameless, but they had been entitled to live and study safely in the homes and schools where much of the abuse took place.
In a statement last night, the church said the victims were entitled to apologies from the bishops and superiors of the religious orders who had failed to protect them. It also said there should be a period of “recognition and healing” in tandem with financial compensation.
The 1,100-page first report of the Deetman commission – chaired by former Dutch education minister Wim Deetman – shocked the Netherlands last year when it revealed that 800 Catholic priests and monks abused as many as 20,000 children in their care between 1945 and 1985.
It said the abuse took place in boarding schools, children’s homes and orphanages, but was not openly acknowledged by the church authorities because of their “culture of silence” and determination “not to hang out their dirty washing”. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/report-finds-dutch-religious-abused-tens-of-thousands-of-girls-1.1322599
March 8, 2013 Letter: Father speaks out against documentary
The Salem News To the editor:
CinemaSalem will host the documentary "West of Memphis" today as part of the Salem Film Fest. The executive producer of this very deceptive film is Damien Echols, one of the so-called "West Memphis Three" and the man convicted of murdering my son and his two best friends in 1993. A jury sentenced Echols to death for his crime in 1994. However, a new prosecutor inherited the case in 2011. He was overwhelmed by the WM3 all-star defense team and celebrity supporters and allowed Echols and co-convicts Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley to enter guilty pleas yet walk free with time served. This amounted to only 18 years for the savage triple homicide of three innocent 8-year-old boys.
The Salem Film Fest and CinemaSalem should be ashamed of themselves for supporting a convicted child murderer. In the eyes of the law, he is a child killer. It is shameful for anyone to support this monster. I urge the residents of Salem to boycott this film....
Todd Moore http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1503764565/Father-speaks-out-against-documentary
The Real West Memphis Three
Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch....
On May 5th, 1993 three eight year old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were arrested, tried and convicted of killing Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, and Chris Byers. There are many important facts left out of the documentaries, books, and most media coverage about the West Memphis Three (WM3) case.
Here are just a few:
FACT - JESSIE MISSKELLEY CONFESSED NUMEROUS TIMES:
The Paradise Lost and West of Memphis documentaries completely leave out the fact Jessie Misskelley confessed to the murders numerous times both before and after he was convicted..... http://www.westmemphisthreefacts.com
March 8, 2013
Letter: Documentary screening criticized
The Salem News
To the editor:
CinemaSalem screens the film "West of Memphis" tonight as a part of its annual documentary film series. Mr. Todd Moore, the father of Michael Moore, one of three 8-year-olds that Salem resident Damien Echols has pleaded guilty to murdering, posted a comment on the festival's blog site protesting their presentation of the film. http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1503764577/Letter-Documentary-screening-criticized
- Letter: Father speaks out against documentary "West of Memphis"
- The Real West Memphis Three http://www.westmemphisthreefacts.com
FACT - JESSIE MISSKELLEY CONFESSED NUMEROUS TIMES
- Letter: Documentary screening criticized
Report finds Dutch religious abused ‘tens of thousands’ of girls
Catholic Church offers apology to victims after report published
is unlikely to be established more accurately
Peter Cluskey Mon, Mar 11, 2013
The report, published yesterday, brought an immediate apology from the Catholic Church, which said that not only had the victims been blameless, but they had been entitled to live and study safely in the homes and schools where much of the abuse took place.
In a statement last night, the church said the victims were entitled to apologies from the bishops and superiors of the religious orders who had failed to protect them. It also said there should be a period of “recognition and healing” in tandem with financial compensation.
The 1,100-page first report of the Deetman commission – chaired by former Dutch education minister Wim Deetman – shocked the Netherlands last year when it revealed that 800 Catholic priests and monks abused as many as 20,000 children in their care between 1945 and 1985.
It said the abuse took place in boarding schools, children’s homes and orphanages, but was not openly acknowledged by the church authorities because of their “culture of silence” and determination “not to hang out their dirty washing”. http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/europe/report-finds-dutch-religious-abused-tens-of-thousands-of-girls-1.1322599
March 8, 2013 Letter: Father speaks out against documentary
The Salem News To the editor:
CinemaSalem will host the documentary "West of Memphis" today as part of the Salem Film Fest. The executive producer of this very deceptive film is Damien Echols, one of the so-called "West Memphis Three" and the man convicted of murdering my son and his two best friends in 1993. A jury sentenced Echols to death for his crime in 1994. However, a new prosecutor inherited the case in 2011. He was overwhelmed by the WM3 all-star defense team and celebrity supporters and allowed Echols and co-convicts Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley to enter guilty pleas yet walk free with time served. This amounted to only 18 years for the savage triple homicide of three innocent 8-year-old boys.
The Salem Film Fest and CinemaSalem should be ashamed of themselves for supporting a convicted child murderer. In the eyes of the law, he is a child killer. It is shameful for anyone to support this monster. I urge the residents of Salem to boycott this film....
Todd Moore http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1503764565/Father-speaks-out-against-documentary
The Real West Memphis Three
Chris Byers, Michael Moore, and Stevie Branch....
On May 5th, 1993 three eight year old boys were murdered in West Memphis, Arkansas. Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin, and Jessie Misskelley were arrested, tried and convicted of killing Michael Moore, Stevie Branch, and Chris Byers. There are many important facts left out of the documentaries, books, and most media coverage about the West Memphis Three (WM3) case.
Here are just a few:
FACT - JESSIE MISSKELLEY CONFESSED NUMEROUS TIMES:
The Paradise Lost and West of Memphis documentaries completely leave out the fact Jessie Misskelley confessed to the murders numerous times both before and after he was convicted..... http://www.westmemphisthreefacts.com
March 8, 2013
Letter: Documentary screening criticized
The Salem News
To the editor:
CinemaSalem screens the film "West of Memphis" tonight as a part of its annual documentary film series. Mr. Todd Moore, the father of Michael Moore, one of three 8-year-olds that Salem resident Damien Echols has pleaded guilty to murdering, posted a comment on the festival's blog site protesting their presentation of the film. http://www.salemnews.com/opinion/x1503764577/Letter-Documentary-screening-criticized
Pope ‘must hand over sex abuse files' , LA archdiocese to pay out $10 mln to settle abuse cases, False allegations of rape and domestic violence are few and far between
- False allegations of rape and domestic violence are few and far between
- Pope ‘must hand over sex abuse files'
- LA archdiocese to pay out $10 mln to settle abuse cases
False allegations of rape and domestic violence are few and far between
Our new report shows that while false allegations must be taken seriously they are relatively rare and are often complex cases
Keir Starmer guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 13 March 2013
The Crown Prosecution Service has come a long way in dealing with cases involving violence against women and girls. In the last year (2011-12) we have seen the conviction rate rise to 73%, delivering the lowest attrition rates ever recorded. The CPS has now published a trailblazing report on so-called "false allegations" of rape or domestic violence....
This report outlines the key findings from the review of those cases and the steps that we plan to take. Importantly, what it shows is that charges brought for perverting the course of justice or wasting police time for such "false" allegations need to be considered in the context of the total number of prosecutions brought for those offences. In the period of the review, there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape and 111,891 for domestic violence. During the same period there were 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape, six for making false allegation of domestic violence and three for making false allegations of both rape and domestic violence.
Furthermore, the report shows that a significant number of these cases involved young, often vulnerable people. About half of the cases involved people aged 21 years old and under, and some involved people with mental health difficulties. In some cases, the person alleged to have made the false report had undoubtedly been the victim of some kind of offence, even if not the one that he or she had reported.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/13/false-allegations-rape-domestic-violence-rare
Pope ‘must hand over sex abuse files'
From: AAP March 14, 2013
POPE Francis must commit to handing over secret Vatican files about child sex abuse in Australia, an advocacy group for people abused by priests says.
Nicky Davis, of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called on the new Pope on Thursday to show that the church is serious about tackling child sexual abuse.
She said the Catholic Church had never voluntarily handed over incriminating documents or cooperated with law enforcement or official inquiries into the issue.
"One of the first actions of the new Pope should be to open all the secret Vatican files relating to child sexual abuse in Australia and hand them to Australia's royal commission." http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pope-must-hand-over-sex-abuse-files/story-e6frf7kf-1226596925070
LA archdiocese to pay out $10 mln to settle abuse cases
13/03/13 With all eyes on the Vatican's new beginning – the past continues to dominate for the US archdiocese of Los Angeles and its former leader Cardinal Roger Mahony.
LA has agreed to pay out 10 million dollars (7.7 million euros) to settle four cases of sexual abuse by Father Michael Baker. Recently-released church files show Cardinal Roger Mahony knew that Baker, and others, had abused minors – but he allowed them to stay in the ministry. A Lawyer for the archdiocese, Michael Hennigan, denied a church cover-up, although he said Mahony admitted he made "serious mistakes" with Baker. Baker was convicted in 2007 and sent to prison on 12 criminal counts of felony oral copulation with a minor.... http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/13/la-archdiocese-to-pay-out-10-mln-to-settle-abuse-cases/
- Pope ‘must hand over sex abuse files'
- LA archdiocese to pay out $10 mln to settle abuse cases
False allegations of rape and domestic violence are few and far between
Our new report shows that while false allegations must be taken seriously they are relatively rare and are often complex cases
Keir Starmer guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 13 March 2013
The Crown Prosecution Service has come a long way in dealing with cases involving violence against women and girls. In the last year (2011-12) we have seen the conviction rate rise to 73%, delivering the lowest attrition rates ever recorded. The CPS has now published a trailblazing report on so-called "false allegations" of rape or domestic violence....
This report outlines the key findings from the review of those cases and the steps that we plan to take. Importantly, what it shows is that charges brought for perverting the course of justice or wasting police time for such "false" allegations need to be considered in the context of the total number of prosecutions brought for those offences. In the period of the review, there were 5,651 prosecutions for rape and 111,891 for domestic violence. During the same period there were 35 prosecutions for making false allegations of rape, six for making false allegation of domestic violence and three for making false allegations of both rape and domestic violence.
Furthermore, the report shows that a significant number of these cases involved young, often vulnerable people. About half of the cases involved people aged 21 years old and under, and some involved people with mental health difficulties. In some cases, the person alleged to have made the false report had undoubtedly been the victim of some kind of offence, even if not the one that he or she had reported.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2013/mar/13/false-allegations-rape-domestic-violence-rare
Pope ‘must hand over sex abuse files'
From: AAP March 14, 2013
POPE Francis must commit to handing over secret Vatican files about child sex abuse in Australia, an advocacy group for people abused by priests says.
Nicky Davis, of the Survivors Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP), called on the new Pope on Thursday to show that the church is serious about tackling child sexual abuse.
She said the Catholic Church had never voluntarily handed over incriminating documents or cooperated with law enforcement or official inquiries into the issue.
"One of the first actions of the new Pope should be to open all the secret Vatican files relating to child sexual abuse in Australia and hand them to Australia's royal commission." http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/breaking-news/pope-must-hand-over-sex-abuse-files/story-e6frf7kf-1226596925070
LA archdiocese to pay out $10 mln to settle abuse cases
13/03/13 With all eyes on the Vatican's new beginning – the past continues to dominate for the US archdiocese of Los Angeles and its former leader Cardinal Roger Mahony.
LA has agreed to pay out 10 million dollars (7.7 million euros) to settle four cases of sexual abuse by Father Michael Baker. Recently-released church files show Cardinal Roger Mahony knew that Baker, and others, had abused minors – but he allowed them to stay in the ministry. A Lawyer for the archdiocese, Michael Hennigan, denied a church cover-up, although he said Mahony admitted he made "serious mistakes" with Baker. Baker was convicted in 2007 and sent to prison on 12 criminal counts of felony oral copulation with a minor.... http://www.euronews.com/2013/03/13/la-archdiocese-to-pay-out-10-mln-to-settle-abuse-cases/
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